Moments of Impact
by Braelyn Rae
Summary: As a partner, Andy McNally redefines normal. During a routine checkpoint, Sam and Andy are hurled into an action packed high-speed chase that is as exciting as it is deadly. Set before Sam went undercover. Sam/Andy. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Moments of Impact

Summary: As a partner, Andy McNally redefines normal. During a routine checkpoint, Sam and Andy are hurled into an action packed high-speed chase-exciting but deadly. Set before Sam went undercover. Sam/Andy!

Rating: T, or PG-13 for mild cursing and intense scenes

Disclaimer: I wish this was necessary, but as I don't actually own anything pertaining to Rookie Blue, it really isn't.

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Officer Andy McNally sighed as she took a step back, waving the car past.

"What's wrong, McNally? Too boring for you?" her partner Sam Swarek teased as he leaned up against the squad car, a look of amusement on his face.

Andy resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she pulled her jacket closer, trying to block the cold air. It was freezing, and they had been out there for over an hour managing a sobriety checkpoint. "I just don't understand why we have to do this…"

"What? Don't like this part of the job?" Sam chuckled as she made a face. "Being a cop isn't always fun and games. Not all of us experience what you have in your short time with the force. This here is normal, this here is the job. Think of it this way, we're stopping people before they have a chance to call us, before they have a chance to be stupid. Believe me, Labor Day is the day everyone decides drinking and driving at three o'clock in the afternoon is a good idea. We're saving lives."

"Please," Andy threw her head back with an irritated gust of air, finding his words annoying. "We may have the potential to save lives, but so far all we've done is gotten cussed at and dealt with that creepy bald guy."

Sam laughed again, clearly enjoying himself.

"What? You like freezing your butt off?" Andy asked, wrapping her arms around herself in attempt to keep warm.

"I feel fine," Sam assured, patting the squad car behind him. "She keeps me nice and warm."

"Yeah? Then maybe we should switch spots. You stand in the middle of the freezing road and I get warmed up by the vehicle."

Sam seemed to think about her proposal before he shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."

A car pulled up to Andy, the driver's window rolling down. The man was young, probably still a teenager. He looked scared as he met the officer's gaze. "H-hi, officer… did I do something wrong?"

"This is a sobriety checkpoint," Andy explained for the hundredth time that day. "Have you been drinking today?"

The young man shook his head violently. "No ma'am, I'm not even twenty-one."

Andy smiled. "Good, let's keep it that way. Have a good one." She waited until the car was several yards away before letting out a laugh. "Oh man, I think he was about to pee his pants!"

"I've had that happen before," Sam said. "Not fun… for anyone."

Andy chuckled, her teeth chattered in the process. "What's the craziest thing you've had happen while doing a checkpoint like this?"

"A sobriety one? Well there's been quite a few… lemme think of one besides the normal puking, punching, cursing… Oh—got one." His voice switched into story telling mode and his hands quickly followed by flying through the air as he recounted the event. "It was like two in the morning and everything had been pretty quiet. All of the sudden, I see this minivan coming down the road, driving sporadically. Going in and out between lanes; almost hitting another car, just crazy, right? Clearly the driver was drunk. The van stops at the checkpoint and I go over to the driver's seat, expecting to see some drunken father or something, instead, it was a kid. A girl, thirteen. She was scared as hell."

"What was a kid doing driving around at two in the morning?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Sam said, shaking his head at the memory. "I was about to ask her when I noticed the woman in the passenger's seat; turns out it was her mom. Apparently the mom stopped by a bar on the way home from picking the kid driver up from a friend's house. She left the kid, Annie, and her two little brothers in the car while she got drunk. They were locked in the van for hours before their mom came back and passed out. Annie found her mom's keys and attempted to drive home. She probably would have ended up killing them all if not for the sobriety checkpoint."

"Oh my God!" Andy gasped, horrified. "That's horrible!"

Sam merely nodded, agreeing.

Another car approached. Andy quickly perked up, now on high alert. She took a couple steps towards the vehicle and waited for the window to roll down before speaking. "Ma'am, have you had anything to drink today?"

"No officer, I haven't." The business woman responded, not seeming bothered by the question.

Andy glanced around the car and subtly sniffed the air. It was clean and free from any alcoholic smell. She forced a smile. "Thank you. Have a nice day."

As the car drove away, she could feel Sam's eyes on her. "What?" Her hands flew up in surrender.

He shook his head, acting nonchalant. "Nothing, just find it amusing, that's all."

"Find what amusing?"

"You—hoping something exciting will happen. You're waiting for that one car… you're waiting for your own Annie, aren't you?"

Andy groaned. "No," she responded, her voice not at all convincing. "That's ridiculous."

"Mmm-hmm, and yet that's exactly what you're thinking." Sam stated.

She glared at him, knowing he was right. "I'm so pathetic! I should be happy that nothing exciting has happened, right? Boring is good. It means nothing bad is happening. I can handle boring, I am so a fan of boring."

"Yeah, sure. You and boring are like this." Sam held up his hand, crossing two fingers.

Andy rolled her eyes and hid a smile. "Shut up."

"Here comes another car, McNally. Be careful, it might be too boring for you."

The brunette cop shook her head again and turned her attention to the approaching car. She held up her hand for the driver to stop as she began walking towards the car. To her surprise, the vehicle did not slow down, instead, the driver must have stepped on the accelerator as the car lunged forward, barely giving her enough time to jump out of its way. She quickly scrambled to her feet, watching the vehicle drive away at a speed she couldn't even estimate. She was so focused on getting the license plate that she did not register Sam's voice until he placed his hands on her arms, forcing her to look at him.

"Are you alright?" He demanded to know, his voice laced with concern.

She nodded profusely, though not sure herself. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She was out of breath, but pumped with adrenaline.

"Get in the car," Sam ordered, already making his way to the driver's seat.

She quickly followed, jumping into the passenger's seat and strapping on her seat buckle. She reached for the radio while Sam stepped on the gas. "Dispatch, this is 15-09; we have a uh… a 510 that passed through out 11-95 checkpoint. It's a black Maxima, license plate is one, alpha, seven, three, six, zero, alpha. We're in pursuit."

"Ten-four." Dispatch responded.

Sam turned on the lights and sirens before stealing a quick glance at his partner. "So much for boring, huh?"

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Leave a review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, thank you all for your great responses! I hope you continue to like this story!

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"Looks like we've got ourselves a high speed chase." Sam grunted as he watched the vehicle in front of them accelerate. He wasn't too surprised they had not pulled over. Obviously if they were not too worried about running over a police officer they weren't the kind of people who thought it necessary to obey the law. He glanced at his partner, watching her eyes widen as the scene unfolded around them. He caught her watching the speedometer and followed her gaze. He was going nearly twice the posted speed limit.

"How many high speed chases have you been involved in?" Andy asked casually, as if she wasn't bothered at all by the situation; but Sam knew her voice well enough to detect the nervousness hidden underneath the layer of calm.

"Including this one?" Sam questioned, receiving a nod as a response. "One."

She turned to him, her mouth gaped open. "Seriously?" She sounded nervous now; her breathing escalated ever so slightly.

"Seriously." He responded, hoping his brutally honest answer wouldn't freak her out.

Silence filled the car, the partners' full attention once again riveted to the speeding black Maxima. Sam bit his lip. He pressed the gas pedal down further and nearly groaned as he felt it make contact with the floor. Maximum acceleration reached. His gloved hands tightened around the steering wheel ensuring that he had as much control as possible.

Stealing a quick glance at Andy once again, he tried to decipher her expression. He couldn't decide if it was one of pain or anxiety. He hoped for the latter but suspected pain. He was not convinced that she was 'fine;' after all, she had nearly been run over and had practically face-planted on the asphalt. He tried to push those thoughts into the back of his mind and focus on the job. "Hey, radio for backup. We're going to need all the help we can get." Somewhere point out that the pain had probably finally registered in Andy's mind.

Andy nodded in agreement and reached for the radio again. The buildings whizzed by at breakneck speeds; Sam listened to his partner as she updated dispatch on the situation. "Dispatch this is 15-09 again, the vehicle is not slowing down… we're going to need backup."

"Ten-four," the radio spoke back. "Advising all available units in your area."

Andy replaced the radio in its holder and leaned back against her seat.

"You should pull up that car's info, see if it was reported stolen or something." Sam suggested, partly wanting to keep her distracted as they flew past the other vehicles on the road.

"Right," Andy quickly entered the information, tapping her fingers impatiently while the page loaded. While waiting, she slammed against her door as Sam took a sharp turn.

"Sorry," he apologized, feeling the nerves and adrenaline of the chase getting to him.

Andy straightened out and looked back at the screen. "Okay, looks like the car is registered to a Bethany Silverman. Twenty-eight, married, has no outstanding warrants… she's clean, not even a parking ticket. No reports of it being stolen..."

Sam glanced at the computer screen, before returning his attention back to the road. "Was it a girl driving?"

"What?" Andy asked, confused.

"The person who almost ran you over," he began, anger flowing through his veins at the thought, "was it a male or female?"

"Male." She responded, thinking back. "White, dark hair, probably early thirties…"

"Okay, so it might have been stolen and just not reported yet. Or her husband." His eyes trailed the car in front of him as it zigzagged around other vehicles. "Damn it."

"What?" Andy looked up with alarm.

"He's headed for the freeway." His gut told him this wasn't good at all. "You should tell dispatch the description of our guy."

Sam only half-listened as she relayed the description over the radio, most of his attention focused on the Maxima. He wouldn't tell Andy this, but he was scared of the outcome of the chase. High-speed pursuits normally resulted in some sort of crash and normally involving a squad car or two. He had heard too many stories, watched too many chases on the internet to believe that everyone would crawl out of this mess unharmed.

"What's wrong with people?" Andy's voice filtered through his own thoughts. "Why don't they pull over? Have these idiots never heard of the 'pull over law?' They're going to get themselves or somebody else killed."

Sam wondered the same thing. Chases would be less deadly if they didn't have other, non-involved vehicles on the road. People should pull over, if not to make the officers jobs easier, for their own safety. "Welcome to the world of stupidity," Sam snorted. "Maybe one of these generations people will actually have common sense."

Once again, a form of silence—apart from the blaring of sirens and occasional horn blasts from irate cars—descended upon them. Eyes riveted to the horrifying scene before them as the Maxima entered the freeway at frightening speeds that far surpassed the surrounding vehicles. Not until Sam glanced at the speedometer again did he realize that they edged close to a hundred miles per hour. He took in the faces of the other cars he passed, they looked scared, curious, and some even bored or annoyed.

They flew past a minivan, a wide-eyed toddler in the back seat. That was enough for him. Religious or not, at times like this, with lives in imminent danger, prayer was his only option. At times like this, he chose to hope in something greater than himself—something or someone who could get them all out of it alive.

"Sam?"

Sam didn't respond, but she knew him well enough to continue.

"Are you scared?"

Sam licked his lips, trying to form a truthful, yet comforting answer. It was harder to think of a response and keep an eye on the speeding car than one would think. "Yes, I'm scared," he began with all sincerity. "You should be too. This isn't one of those racing video games, Andy. Lives are on the line here. We need to be prepared for any outcome."

"Thank you… for being honest." Andy's voice quivered ever so slightly.

He nodded, too busy thinking up strategies to respond.

"What do we do now?"

Sam glanced in the review mirror, as if looking for the solution. "We wait for backup and pray that no one dies today."

Andy didn't seem to like the response. "Then what?"

"Then we get this bastard off the road."

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That's all for now, folks! The next chapter is nearly done. If you have a minute to spare, I would love to hear from you!


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, thank you all for your reviews- I love hearing from you guys.

So, I have to apologize… although I did some research in regards to the police codes and procedures, I forgot one (slightly major) detail: Rookie Blue is set in Canada, not the United States. So, although I did know that, I didn't even think about the fact that they might actually do stuff differently than in the US. Growing up in CA, I have witnessed many high-speed chases and didn't even think twice about the fact that Canada doesn't actually allow their officers to engage in these chases. I also did not think to check the legal drinking age there, which apparently is not 21. I appreciate the people who have pointed out these mistakes and I'm sorry I did not do better research. However, since this story is fiction, I will just pretend that Canada allows high-speed chases… if not, I would have to delete this story. ;)

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Her hands—pinpricks… stinging. Wha—adrenaline. It must be wearing off now. Her eyes traveled to her palms as if seeing them for the first time. Scraped and bloodied from her dive across the asphalt of the road as she threw herself out of the car's path, they hurt now. In her peripheral vision she saw that Sam was too distracted by the situation to notice her. Carefully and surreptitiously, she wiped her hands against her pants, trying to scrape the dirt and rocks from her cuts, but that only increased the pain. She couldn't hold back a groan.

"What?" Sam's voice spoke.

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Hmm? Wha—what?"

"I thought you said something…" he responded, eyeing her carefully.

Andy shook her head. "Mm-mm, nope."

"Huh." Sam shrugged. "Must be hearing things in my old age."

Andy smiled, grateful that despite the situation he was maintaining his wit. She would never admit it, but she appreciated it. Focusing her eyes back on the road, she felt her heartbeat increase as she watched the black Maxima skid freely across the thin layer of ice over the road. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until the driver regained control of the vehicle and she let out a breath of relief. Her brain spun in a dozen directions, thinking of ways the chase could go wrong; the added ice element brought her total to seven. Seven ways someone could end up seriously hurt or dead.

A horn blared, jerking her back into reality. Her eyes searched the road and landed on a semi-truck driver flipping off the black Maxima for cutting him off.

"Where the hell is our backup?" Sam snarled through gritted teeth.

Andy glanced in her side mirror, hoping to see the flashing red and blue lights, but instead, saw the traffic fade behind them, staying out of their way. Finally, people showed enough sense to stay back.

"This guy doesn't know what he's doing." Sam's voice filtered into her thoughts.

"Why do you say that?" Andy questioned.

"Because," Sam began, "he's passed half a dozen exits that would have been an optimal choice for losing us. He's gotta know that there's more cops on the way and that we're closing down the freeway. Staying on here is a dead end for him."

Andy thought for a moment. "But that's a good thing, right? If he stays on this freeway, it'll be easier for us to stop him without putting others in harms' way…"

Sam shook his head. "Idiots are unpredictable. Once he realizes we're cutting him off, there's no telling what he might do. He may give himself up or—"

Andy tuned him out as she strained to listen for sirens blaring in the distance. She glanced at her side mirror again, this time seeing blue and red lights flashing. Relief washed over her.

"Now we're talking." Sam muttered, more to himself than her.

She looked up at the Maxima, wondering how the driver would respond to the additional officers joining the chase.

"Damn." Sam spat, pushing the gas pedal down further. Apparently the driver's solution was to speed.

A squad car zoomed in front of them, barely giving Andy enough time to identify the people inside as Shaw and Dov. She nearly rolled her eyes at the thought of Dov's amusement.

Sam passed Shaw's car, reminding the other officers who was in charge. He seemed more comfortable with backup. The speedometer climbed a bit more. The scent of burnt rubber filled the air, as the vehicle was pushing its limits. They were narrowing in on the Maxima, getting close enough that Andy could see the driver's eyes in his review mirror.

The radio blared with instructions, a bunch of codes Andy didn't remember or never bothered to memorize.

"What's going on?"

Sam glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "We're going to do a pit."

Andy felt a small knot form in her stomach. She had never been in a car when its purpose was actually to collide with another vehicle. Her mind replayed memories of local news displaying a police chase that had ended with the pit maneuver. If everything went well, this could all end right now. Big if.

She glanced at the Maxima, catching the driver's eyes in the mirror once again. She would swear worry filled them as Sam began to close the space between the two vehicles. He steered the car to the left of the Maxima, aligning his front bumper with the back wheel of the suspect's car. Before Andy could have time to brace for the impact, the two cars struck, and Sam quickly slammed on the breaks so as not to hit the other vehicle. Andy regained her balance in time to watch the suspect skid and spin out. Her eyes widened at the scene before her. The car spun a full three-sixty, and after fishtailing on the ice, continued down the freeway.

"What the—" Andy muttered to herself, wondering if they were chasing a NASCAR driver.

"Damn it!" Sam spat.

The radio buzzed to life with officers barking orders. Try again.

Sam positioned the squad car behind the small black vehicle once more. This time Andy reached for the armrest to brace herself.

As if experiencing déjà vu, Sam hit the Maxima on the left bumper, spinning the car out of control. Again, the driver managed to regain control of the vehicle, as if nothing had happened.

"What is this guy on?" She wondered aloud.

Sam didn't respond to her, he simply aligned his car again. "If this doesn't work this time, we'll use the spike strip next."

Andy nodded silently and glanced towards the suspect. She made eye contact with him again. They held each other's gaze for a long moment—Andy worried he would crash for such an action. She watched as his lips rose slightly to the right—he was smiling! She opened her mouth to mention it to her partner when he broke their gaze and leaned over towards the passenger's seat. "What is he doing?"

"Hmm?" Sam grunted, too occupied with his own driving to pay attention to the happenings in the Maxima.

"I don't know, he kinda… he…" Andy began to ramble as she continued to watch him. Her eyes grew big and her heat skipped a beat, terror slamming into her chest as she saw an object raised—aimed straight at her. "GUN!" she screamed as she ducked.

No sooner had she radioed the warning than the windshield exploded, pelting them with shards of glass. She remained hunched over until the bullets, all six of them, stopped slicing through the vehicle. She looked towards her partner, who somehow managed to drive in his slouched position, barely giving himself enough height to see over the dashboard. His right arm covered most of his face, shielding himself as best he could. Andy felt the rapid decrease in speed. Damn.

The radio exploded once again, voices from all directions demanding to know what happened or an account of injuries.

Andy exhaled sharply and gulped in fresh air as she brushed shards of glass from her uniform. She slowly raised her head so that she could see the Maxima.

"You okay?" Sam's concerned voice rose over the chatter on the radio.

She nodded. "Yeah. You?"

"Fine."

She checked over him again, this time seeing blood. "You're bleeding." She reached out to touch his cheek that now sported a nasty-looking gash.

"It's fine." He said again.

Andy opened the glove department and recovered the first aid kit.

"Don't worry about it." Sam barked with all seriousness. "Get on the radio; tell them we're okay and to get the spikes ready."

Midway through her message, another shot sliced through the car. She dropped the radio, nearly jumping out of her seat.

"Get down!" Sam ordered, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.

The rookie sent up a quick prayer to keep Sam safe as she buried her head into her knees. She could feel the car swerve dramatically as Sam attempted to dodge any future bullets. Her body felt like a ball in a pinball machine, ricocheting between the armrest, the dash, the door.

"Damn it!" Sam cursed as he slammed his hand into the steering wheel. "He's getting off the freeway."

"Didn't we close the exits?" Her voice was slightly muffled because of her position.

Sam didn't say anything.

Andy fumbled for the radio. "This is 15-09, is exit…" she peeked out the window. "38B closed yet?"

There was a moment of silence before the radio cracked with life. "Negative, 15-09, we have not secured that exit yet."

She cursed in her head. "10-4."

Bam! Another bullet ricocheted off the hood of their car.

Sitting up, Andy watched as Sam followed the Maxima down the offramp.

"Where is he going?"

"Andy, get back down." Sam demanded without even looking at her.

"You need another set of eyes."

"I need my partner alive when this thing is over." He rebutted. "Just do it."

"I'm not planning on going anywhere." Andy assured.

Overhead, Andy heard the propellers of a helicopter and pressed her face against the cool glass, looking up at the sky and spotting the news helicopter.

"Smile," Sam began sarcastically, "you're on TV. We're going to be celebrities."

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So, what do you think? Please leave me a review and let me know! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for all your reviews! You guys are the best! This chapter started off so much longer than it is, but due editing, I cut a lot out as it was beginning to sound repetitive. Hope you enjoy it!

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Red light. He didn't even slow down. With each intersection he passed, all Sam could do is send up a quick prayer, begging some cosmic being to keep everyone on the road safe. It was a ridiculous prayer, he knew that. An hour of chasing the jerk wad up had proven not only that the driver was reckless and dangerous, it had also been a not-so-nice reminder that most of the rest of the people on the road were stupid—thoughtless. If the black Maxima didn't cause an accident soon, some other driver undoubtedly would.

Sam winced as he watched the Maxima change lanes again, nearly hitting an SUV that tried to get out of the way. Another intersection—it seemed to fly at them rather than the other way around. Yellow turned to red just as they approached. Sam fought to give the car more gas, but the pedal couldn't push through the floor. Halfway through the intersection, a bus approached on the passenger's side, barely swerving in time to miss his car. A lot of good sirens and lights did sometimes.

"Why don't we just do the pit maneuver again?" his partner asked, the tension obviously getting to her. As it should—it was scary as hell. Every other minute they escaped yet another fatal collision.

"Take a look around, McNally." He suggested, barely glancing at the other vehicles on the road with his peripheral vision. "One wrong move and we get someone killed."

Andy remained silent.

Sam wished he knew what she was thinking. He could hear her teeth chatter ever so slightly and suddenly realized how cold it was. Driving a hundred and some-odd number per hour without a windshield to block the wind wasn't anyone's idea of fun.

He had been ordered to let someone else take the lead on this chase after the last shot. It took over a minute of debating with Andy and another minute of convincing himself they were up to seeing this thing through, to settle on a decision: they decided to ignore the radio command. No one would doubt that the radio might have been damaged during the shooting. His only concern was for his partner—he knew the outcome would more than likely end badly, and he really did not want Andy to have any part in that.

Sam was jerked from his thoughts and thrown back into reality as the black Maxima steered into the oncoming traffic. Horns from scared and angry drivers blared louder than his siren as Sam followed suit, gliding over to the wrong side of the road. The air in the car grew tense and both he and his partner held their breaths in attempt to keep their nerves down and remain calm.

Cars careened at him left and right, swerving around the Maxima and moving into other lanes. Two cars collided behind them. He glanced over his shoulder to see who was involved, but couldn't hold his gaze long enough to identify who it was. He focused on the road. If the stakes hadn't been high before, they were astronomical now.

"Shit." Andy muttered, upon realizing one of the vehicles involved in the collision behind them was Dov's. She twisted her body for a better view.

With more force than he intended, Sam bellowed, "What!"

"That was Dov and—"

"They okay?" Sam asked, not trusting himself to glance over his shoulder again, but trying to see in his side view mirror.

Andy hesitated, squinting her eyes as the distance increased. "I think so—it didn't look too bad…"

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"—if you're just tuning in now, we are currently following our top breaking news story. A high-speed chase involving a possible stolen black Maxima, has been going on for almost two hours. The driver reportedly drove through a police routine checkpoint, which sparked the chase. This has been quite a scary case, as the driver had turned a gun on the police, firing several rounds all while driving over a hundred miles per hour. The Maxima is also responsible for an car accident that just occurred moments ago, involving a police vehicle. There is a report of one death that resulted from that accident. The driver is now travelling eastbound. The police have begun to close down some intersections, though we are not at liberty to say which in case the suspect is turned into this station. Right now we—"

Andy turned off the radio and cautiously looked at her partner.

"We've got to get this bastard off the road before he kills someone else." Sam spat.

This is the first they had heard of a casualty. She knew Sam was wondering the same thing she was—who died?

She could not believe it had only been two hours since the chase began. It seemed like an eternity. A fast-pace, never ending nightmare.

They were pushing one-hundred and thirty miles per hour. The outside world flew by so fast it hardly looked real. She felt like she was in hyperspace in some cheesy sci-fi movie.

Someone over the radio continued to bark out orders, though none were directed at them. Apparently they had given up on trying to communicate with them. She listened closely for a moment, hoping to find out who had died, but there was nothing more. She hoped that meant it wasn't a cop.

The Maxima moved back onto the right side of the road. Sam and a couple other squad cars followed suit.

Sam squirmed in his seat. He always shifted like that when he'd driven too long without a break to stretch. A movement so normal felt horribly out of place. She wished she could take over driving for him. She considered suggesting they pull over and let someone else take the lead—they were running out of gas anyway. She paused, thinking a moment. _Gas_.

"Do you think he'll run out of gas anytime soon?" She checked the nearly empty gas gauge again. "We had about three quarters of a tank when we left today."

Sam seemed to double check her statement by looking at the gauge. "You're right. He's probably running on empty… how big is a Maxima's tank?"

Andy shrugged, reaching for the radio to ask, but stopped midway once realizing why that wouldn't work. She glanced towards the computer screen that somehow managed to get hit during the shooting. She leaned back in her seat. They would just have to wait and see.

The traffic had thinned out; the roads were almost empty of non-enforcement vehicles. They must have blocked off several major intersections. Then again, they were entering a residential zone—that could also account for it. It's much easier to hear sirens without the noise of the city to drown them out.

"We're going to have to stop soon…" Sam spoke, sounding like he was trying to prepare himself more than her.

Andy nodded. She turned her head to look at the police vehicle behind them, annoyed that they would be the ones to take this guy down. The jerk had nearly run her over; she kind of wanted to remind him of that fact—personally.

"Once we get out of this mess, we'll be out for good. They'll need to get this car fixed up before it's cleared to go out again.

Andy nodded again. Her eyes trained on the Maxima. The car was too far away to see the driver's face now, which was good. She didn't particularly want to see him again. Well, not until he was behind bars.

They approached another intersection where the light had just turned red, and of course, neither the Maxima nor Sam showed any indication of slowing down. This, of course, was no surprise. Red lights were passé at this point.

Sam finally said the dreaded words. "Okay, we need to back off now…"

She glanced at the gauge again. "Just a little longer…" She really didn't want to watch the ending of this chase on the news.

Sam did not say anything, but he showed no signs of slowing down either.

Andy opened her mouth to thank him when her eyes locked on a minivan pulling out of a driveway—directly into the path of the Maxima. Neither driver would have time to react. She wanted to close her eyes, to avoid seeing fate of the minivan and Maxima. She didn't, but even if she had, never could she have blocked out the sickening crunch of metal and glass.

As if played out in slow motion, the van spun out of control. Not until she heard Sam scream did Andy realize that the van spun directly toward _them_.

Impact. Screech of rubber on road, metal on metal. Bodies lurched, thrown against the restraints of seatbelts. Andy heard, felt, saw it all and then—nothing.

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Soooo, what did you think? I would love to hear from you! I was going to update yesterday, but it was my 21st birthday, so I kinda had other plans. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the reviews and the birthday wishes! I had a great birthday, thanks! :)

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It was so quiet—but so loud. There was a constant loud pitched tone that drowned out everything else. He opened his eyes only to immediately squeeze them close again as the brightness was overwhelming. He could feel a set of hands slide under his arms and pull him across a bumpy surface. Asphalt? His brain began to work overtime in attempt to make sense of everything. He felt so tried, so heavy, he almost allowed himself to sink back into the world of the unconscious, when a memory fluttered by. His eyes shot opened and stayed open this time. He had been in a car accident. _Andy_.

Someone now stood in front of him, shielding him from the bright sun. Once the blurriness cleared, he was able to identify the person as Dov. The rookie's mouth moved as if he was shouting, but Sam couldn't understand. He couldn't hear him above the constant loud pitch. He moved his eyes past the cop, but he could not see anything through the thick layer smoke. He tried to turn his head, but someone must have put a brace around his neck, as he could not move it at all.

"Andy?" He croaked, though he could not tell if anything actually escaped his lips. His eyes found Dov again and watched the color drain from his face. The young cop looked around, as if trying to find someone else. That could not be good.

Sam tried to get up, but he was buckled into a stretcher and was unable to move. Panic surged within him. They had been in a car crash, the squad car was on fire, and he couldn't see his partner. He fought against the restraints.

A paramedic stepped in front of him. Sam was not an expert at lip-reading, but he could definitely understand the man shouting at him to stop. When he didn't, the paramedic nodded to someone, and soon he felt a needle pierce his skin. The drug was fast acting, as he did not even have time to curse at the paramedic before he fell asleep.

* * *

When he woke up the next time, his hearing was back to normal. He was lying on a bed in the hospital, a curtain on both of his sides, separating him from other patients. Maybe separating him from Andy.

He sat up, now registering the headache that attacked his forehead and a discomfort in his left wrist. He looked down, examining the bandage around his wrist and hand, seeped with blood. He tried to recall how he acquired the injury, but couldn't. He must have blacked out right after the impact of the minivan. He shook off the thought and stood, his legs feeling stiff from hours of driving. He reached for his shoes that sat neatly on a chair next to the bed.

"Trying to escape?"

Sam looked up, startled by the voice, though his appearance remained calm. "Hey, Ollie."

The older police officer looked tired as he shuffled over to the bed, leaning against the edge. "How are you feeling?"

Sam nodded reassuringly. "Fine. How's Andy?"

"You took quite the hit. It's a miracle you came out with hardly a scratch." Shaw commented, ignoring the question.

Sam stopped midway of tying his shoe, staring Shaw in the face. "How is she?"

Shaw looked away briefly, before turning back. "You'll have a nice scar." He said, gesturing with his chin. "Chicks dig scars, right?"

Sam automatically reached to touch his cheek, feeling a butterfly bandage covering the gash he had received from the explosion of the windshield. "Ollie…" his voice practically commanding answers.

"She's in surgery." Shaw's voice remained steady, as though he had prepared his words. "No one knows how she's doing."

Sam swallowed, digesting the news.

"You okay?"

He shook his head and leaned over to finish tying his shoe. He stood back up and grabbed his jacket that hung over the side of the bed and walked past Shaw.

"Where are you going?" Shaw sounded annoyed.

Sam didn't bother to respond. Shaw knew better than anyone exactly where he was going. He made his way out of the ER and into the main entrance of the hospital. He stopped at the front desk and waited for the receptionist to finish her conversation on the phone. It took a lot of self-control on his part to not flash his badge in her face and hang up the phone for her. He ran his hands through his hair, finding a patch of dry blood, above his right temple. That must have been what caused the headache.

"Can I help you?" A voice spoke through his thoughts.

Sam looked at the woman, who stared at him curiously, unsure even. He must have been quite a sight. "I'm here for Andy Mcnally… I'm here partner."

The lady's features softened. "Okay." She typed something into the computer in front of her. "I have an Andrea McNally…"

"That's her." Sam spoke, a little too loudly. "Andrea McNally. Can I see her?"

The woman chewed on her bottom lip as she continued to stare at the screen. After a full minute, she looked up at the officer, her lips now forming a small smile. "It looks like she is in surgery right now."

He expected as much. "Does it say why? How long she will be in there?"

"No, I'm afraid it doesn't. You can wait on level three and I can page someone to come out and give you an update as soon as they can."

Sam nodded distractedly, already backing away from the desk. "Thank you." He barely whispered.

"The waiting room is just left of the elevators!" The receptionist called after him.

Sam forced himself to remain calm as he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor. When the doors closed, he saw his reflection on the mirror-like surface. He looked like crap. His right cheek was swollen and bloodied, his left temple sported a bright white bandage, and the bags under his eyes looked dark and heavy. If he looked this bad, he could only image how bad Andy was. He has to curl his hands into a fist to keep it together.

The elevator dinged before the doors opened, letting him free. He stepped out and took a left turn, the signs on the wall indicating he was headed the right way.

The hospital's stench was stronger than normal; it made him want to puke.

Before he spotted the rows of chairs destined for nervous waiting family members and friends, he saw them. The rookies. Dov was speaking a hundred words a minute, no doubt reliving his 'exciting' story of the day to Chris, whose shoulder was being used as a pillow by Gail, who looked as tired as he felt. Tracie was pacing back and forth between the first row of chairs and the vending machines. Jerry was there as well, sitting on a chair with his face buried in his hands. As Sam took a step further into the room, all eyes suddenly fell upon him. They watched him, as if waiting for news… maybe waiting for him to crack.

Tracie was the first to speak. "We haven't heard anything."

He nodded understandingly, not meeting her eyes.

Jerry stood up and crossed the wide room. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He shut his mouth, giving Sam a small smile that expressed more than words could.

Sam followed him to his seat and sat next to him. The room fell silent, even Dov decided to put his story on hold.

A few minutes trickled by before Shaw found his way into the room, a cup of coffee in hand. He offered it to Sam, who declined, and sat down.

They waited there in silence for a good thirty minutes before a man in dark blue scrubs walked in. Sam was the first to his feet, knowing it had something to do with Andy.

"Andrea McNally?"

"Yeah, I'm her partner… these uh, these are her friends on the force." He spoke nervously, stepping towards the doctor. "How is she?"

"Does Miss McNally have any family here?"

Sam hadn't even thought to call her father. He stared blankly for a moment, before Tracie quickly piped up behind him, "She has a father. He is being notified."

The young doctor nodded. "I don't know how much you all know of her condition—"

"We don't know anything." Sam spoke for the group.

The doctor's expressionless face faltered slightly, revealing discouragement, before it went blank again. "Okay… well, as you all probably are well aware, Officer McNally was involved in a car accident. She suffered both major and minor injuries, the worst being a crushed pelvis. She is currently being operated on to repair the pelvis as much as possible. We are about two hours into the procedure that will probably take about four hours. An injury like this presents multiple problems… not only is the bone crushed, but the impact caused some of her blood vessels to rupture and she is bleeding into her tissue. However, it is going well, we expect her to make a full recovery after this."

"So wait, you're not her doctor then?" Tracie asked before Sam could even wrap his head around the doctor's words.

"No, I'm just an intern. Doctor Frasier is Andrea's doctor. He is the best general surgeon in this hospital, your friend is being well take care of, I can assure you." He forced a smile before glancing back at the doors he came through. "I'm sorry, if you will excuse me, I'm going to get back. I'll try to give you all another update in about an hour."

He was gone before the information could sink into Sam's brain. Sam remained standing, watching the two doors leading to the operating room swing back and forth, squeaking profusely at the movement. He had so many questions he had meant to ask, but had somehow slipped his mind. He wished he could run after the doctor and demand answers. He needed to know what 'major and minor injuries' meant. He needed to know that they understood that they were operating on the best of the best. Mostly, he needed to know if there was anything he could have done to prevent this.

His feet seemed to have a mind of their own, as they shuffled their way back to his seat. For the next couple hours, all he could do was replay the crash in his mind over and over again, torturing himself with the unknown. If he had just swerved the car to the right, Andy probably wouldn't be on that table right now…

* * *

Well, that's it for now. This is a little more moody than my other chapters, but I think the circumstances require it. I will try to post a couple more chapters before the new season starts up, but this next week will be super busy for me, so I make no promises! Please review and let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I was hoping to get this up earlier, but real life kicked my butt this week. I'm so excited that the new Rookie Blue season is about to start (tonight!)

Quick note to a couple people commenting on her injuries- don't worry! I won't take lightly of her injuries. I had a friend who was in a car accident a few years ago; she ended up with a crushed pelvis. I am going to those injuries she received/the recovery she went through as a basis of what Andy will go through. I'm not going to go too in-depth with all the medical babble, but know that this is based off a real person's experience.

* * *

Visiting hours had long since passed before he was he was allowed to see her. It was midnight; Shaw and the rookies had slowly begun to dwindle in number shortly after ten o'clock, too exhausted to stay. Tracie was the last to leave, though not without protest. Jerry had practically dragged her out of the hospital, all the while reminding her that her son, Leo, would be worried if she didn't make it home tonight. Sam was left alone in the large waiting room, alone with his thoughts and appreciating the silence it brought.

The young doctor never came back with the update like he had promised. In fact, Sam didn't see anyone until eleven thirty when a nurse came in to tell him that the operation had went well and that Andy was being settled into a room.

Twenty minutes later, he found himself in that room. It was dimly lit; the small lamp that stood in the corner hardly provided enough light to make out Andy's basic form. But there she was, buried underneath a thin blanket—motionless. He stood there for a full minute, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. When he was able to see half-decently, he set his jacket on the edge of the bed and took a seat in the chair beside her. The nurse warned him that the anesthesia would probably take a few hours to wear off, so he made himself comfortable as he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, ready for the long night.

Sleep did not come easy. He could not stop thinking long enough to let his body power down. He scrutinized every decision he had made during the pursuit. He knew he had made one too many mistakes, as it should not have ended the way it did. He should have pulled out of the chase immediately after their windshield exploded. He should not have ignored the radio. He should have left as soon as he realized they were almost out of gas. He should have swerved to the right more when the minivan spun wildly towards them. He should have listened to his head and not his gut. He should not have risked Andy's wellbeing.

Exhaustion must have gotten the best of him, as he found himself waking up in a dark room without the memory of dozing off. He glanced at the clock and noted he must have been asleep for at least an hour… maybe two—depending on when he fell asleep.

"Hey."

Sam turned to his right, locating the small voice. Andy was awake, staring at him with her big brown eyes.

"Hey…" His voice came out rougher and more tired than he expected. He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. "H-how are you feeling?"

"Sleepy." Her voice was sluggish, reminding him that she was still coming off of drugs.

"You in pain?"

She shook her head slightly.

Sam pasted a small smile, wishing he could see her face better. "Good. The pain meds must be working." Andy didn't respond. Her eyes were closed now… she must have fallen asleep again. He chuckled silently to himself, unable to find it anything but cute. He stretched back out in the chair. Finding a comfortable position, he managed to fall asleep quickly, this time having a good feeling that his partner would be okay.

* * *

The constant, never-ending electronic beeps woke her up. She wanted to badly to reach over and press the snooze button—to sleep five more minutes, but the beeping only seemed to grow louder and faster, pulling her completely out of her dream-like sleep. When she opened her eyes, it was bright. Probably early morning, as the east windows were spilling over with the sun's beams, illuminating all the particles of dust in the air that are always there, yet always forgotten. Her eyes wondered around the room, settling on the man on the chair next to her. Asleep.

She smiled as she watched his chest rise and fall with his breaths. The position he was in did not look particularly comfortable. His head rested on his shoulder awkwardly, being strained beyond its normal capabilities. His legs were swung over one of the arms, while his back rested against the other; his large frame dwarfing the small seat. He was still in his uniform, reassuring her that he couldn't have been too bad off after the accident.

Curious as to the extent of her injuries, she began to check over herself. Wiggling her toes, turning her head from side to side, lifting her arms—it all felt normal. She almost thought she got away with just a concussion or something, until she tried to roll over onto her side to face her partner. It was then that she felt the worst of pains—a mix of stabbing and crushing of bones—from her butt to her abdomen. In that second, a cry of pain escaped her lips before she even realized it or could try to prevent it.

She must have woke Sam up, as he immediately towered over beside her; she just barely make out his shape through her tears.

"What's wrong? You in pain? Need me to get a nurse?"

She wanted to lie and tell him she was okay, that he didn't need to get anyone, but she knew if she opened her mouth she wouldn't be able to stop crying until the pain went away. She nodded, her eyes squeezed so tightly that she couldn't see him anymore. She knew he left though; his hurried boots were loud against the tiled floor.

She tried to remain still, letting her body form against the mattress. The pain settled down slightly, but not enough. Not nearly enough. She ground her teeth together in attempt to keep from crying—it helped, but it didn't stop the tears.

Sam was back in under a minute, a chubby woman in scrubs scrambling behind him.

"Andrea, how are you feeling this morning?" Her voice was too cheery.

She groaned and reminded herself to breath. "It… hurts." She spoke between quenched teeth.

"Okay, I'm going to up your morphine just a bit, but I will have to get it cleared by a doctor before I do any more than that." The nurse said, adjusting her IV line. The relief was almost immediate. "There, is that better?"

Andy nodded. "Much." Her voice was weak, but audible.

The nurse smiled, checking the machine again. "Good. I'll have your doctor come by as soon as he can."

Once she left, Sam moved closer to the bed. He pulled the chair towards him and sat down, not taking his eyes off of Andy. "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded again. "Yeah… kinda." She forced a smile. "Better than a minute ago at least."

Sam continued to stare silently.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked in a small voice.

Her partner swallowed, but didn't break eye contact. "I haven't talked to your doctor yet, so I don't know all the details. From what I've been told, you have a crushed pelvis."

She was quiet for a moment. "That… sounds bad…"

Sam nodded. "It is." He agreed with a shrug. "But it's nothing Andy McNally can't jump back from."

Andy smiled at him despite her pain. "Thanks."

* * *

Short, yes. Good? Well, that's up for you to decide. Please leave me a little note and let me know what you think. :)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: It's been over a week, I know, super sorry everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"—officers had quite the scary ride yesterday morning. What started as a sobriety checkpoint turned into a deadly chase. We have—"

_Static._

"—there are reports of two casualties as well as two individuals with serious injuries, including police officer Andrea McNally—"

_Static._

"—scene ended when a civilian mini-van pulled out of a driveway and into the Maxima. The driver of the van was killed and her two-year-old son is in the hospital in critical condition. The driver of the Maxima sustained no injuries and was immediately taken into custody. In other news, a—"

_Static._

"—the driver who instigated that deadly chase yesterday has been identified as Patrick Hemming. Officer Frank Best from the fifteenth division spoke at a news conference this morning, stating that Hemming was driving in a stolen car and when police attempted to stop him, he reacted violently—"

Sam reached for the remote, taking it out of Andy's hands, and turned off the TV. "I think we've had enough of that for now…"

Normally, she might have protested at his actions, but she understood. They had been watching the news for the past hour, watching the same footage being broadcasted across numerous networks. They had watched the chase play out so many times, it was hard to believe that it was actually real, and that they had actually been a part of it. What was even harder to believe was that it all happened yesterday… in a matter of hours. It felt like a lifetime ago—an eternity ago. Everything seemed different now.

The television had filled them in on what they had missed after the crash. The driver of the Maxima walked away without a scratch, two civilians had died, a toddler injured, she was injured… it all seemed so unreal.

"I can't believe that actually happened." She formed her thoughts into words. "It's so… so…"

"Crazy." Sam supplied, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah." Andy spoke quietly.

Sam turned to her, staring a moment before speaking. "Look, Andy. I need to—"

"Hey there!" A voice interrupted.

Andy looked up in time to see Tracie, Dov, Chris, and Gail pile into the room—Frank Best just a moment behind them. They all carried balloons, flowers, cards, or chocolates in their hands. She stole a glance at Sam, who stood immediately, faking a smile. She could see the disappointment on his face and wondered what he was going to say. She wanted to shoo everyone away so he could finish his sentence. Instead, she too forced a smile. "Hey guys!"

"How are you feeling?" Tracie asked, setting a vase of tulips on the nightstand as she took the seat that Sam, who had moved to the other side of the room, had been occupying.

"Good. I'm fine, really." She lied. To be honest, she still wasn't too sure herself. She had yet to see her doctor to know the full extent of her injuries.

Tracie raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"I'm glad you're okay," Gail spoke up, setting a card down on the edge of her bed.

"We all are." Best agreed, nodding. He turned to Sam, who stood beside him. "You too, Swarek. Glad all my people got out of that mess safely."

"Thank you sir," Sam said with a nod.

Dov set a vase of flowers next to Tracie's. He stood as though he were on duty, with his back straight and his head held high, despite being in civilian clothes. Typical Dov. "That was some chase, huh?"

"Yeah… I saw on the news—that was some great defense driving you did. When you guys got hit, I thought for sure someone… yeah. Good job."

"Thanks." The young cop beamed.

Chris stepped towards the bed, extending his arm with a box of chocolate. "I figured you might want something to snack on since you'll be stuck with hospital food for a while."

"Thanks, Chris." Andy accepted the box, settling it into her lap. "Thank you all… you guys are too sweet."

"I know you're probably not feeling up to it at the moment, but I'm going to need your statement on what happened as soon as you're able." Best said reluctantly, glancing between Andy and Sam.

"No problem." Andy nodded. "I'll try to get one over to the barn tonight."

"Same." Sam said.

"Thank you." Best smiled. "I guess—"

There was a soft knock on the door. Everyone turned to look at the Doctor entering the room.

"Hello," he spoke, his voice sounding as tired as she felt. "My name is David Frasier, I'm Andrea's doctor." He looked directly at Andy. "Miss McNally, I would like to go over your case with you…"

She nodded. "Okay…"

"We should go." Chris said, gesturing towards the door. "It was great to see you! I'll visit you after my shift."

"Do you want someone here?" Tracie asked, not rising from her seat as the others began to leave. "Should I stay?"

Andy glanced towards Sam, who stared silently at her. She turned back to Tracie and smiled. "Yeah, that would be awesome. Thanks."

"I'll see you later, Andy." Sam said as he walked towards the door, pausing for half a second, before disappearing. She could swear he sounded and looked hurt.

Once the door closed, Doctor Frasier continued. "Well, as I'm sure you're more than well aware; you were in a car accident. The impact caused a lot of damage to your pelvis, breaking it in two places. We—"

"Wait, we were told by an intern that her pelvis was crushed," Tracie cut in. "Are they the same thing?"

The doctor sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Not, not at all. I'm sorry for the miscommunication, but my intern jumped the gun on assuming that. Your initial CT scan was unclear, so we ordered a second one to which Doctor Beaumont, my intern, was not present. Apparently the hours spent in surgery did not enlighten him on your true condition." He turned to Tracie. "I am sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Tracie practically yelled. "Broken sounds way better than crushed… it is, right?"

Doctor Frasier smiled. "Indeed," he confirmed, turning back to Andy. "To keep it simple, bed rest for seven weeks is a must, taking it easy for another three to four weeks is recommended, roughly a month of physical therapy, and you'll be set. You probably won't be one hundred percent for at least six months, but you'll be able to walk, run, do jumping jacks... You're lucky to be young, female, and in such great shape—most of my patients wouldn't bounce back from this so easily."

Andy's eyes grew wide. "Two and a half months of doing nothing is lucky?" Her voice came out louder, angrier than she had intended.

"Well, I wouldn't say you would be doing nothing. Your body has a lot of healing to do, which includes repairing tissue damage as well as broken bones. It's definitely not an easy or quick process. Give yourself credit." The doctor said with a wink.

She wished she could take the news with a light heart, with a smile and a sense of humor, but her life as she knew it was put on pause. That was not something Andy McNally could come to terms with overnight.

"So, do you have any questions for me?"

She had a million, but only a few that she cared about. "How long will I be in the hospital?"

"We will keep you here about a week to help you regulate your pain meds and to have you get used to being dependent on other people for food, change your catheter…" He paused briefly as she winced, embarrassed. "But after that, there is no reason you cannot recover at home. You'll need someone to be with you constantly, or at least someone who checks up on you regularly. Do you have family? Boyfriend? Someone who could do that?"

For some reason, the thought of not having a family or someone special like that pained her. She didn't want to admit it, but she shook her head anyway. "No… I have a dad, but I wouldn't want to put him in that position."

"I could do it!" Tracie declared. "You could move in with me. When I couldn't be there, my mom could help you out. You'd have two people looking after you…"

"Tracie, you both have jobs, and Leo, I couldn't ask—"

"You're not." Tracie stopped her. "I'm offering. You're accepting."

Andy smiled, despite the thought of living in a cramped apartment with three other people sounding a little overwhelming. "Thanks."

"Excellent." Doctor Frasier praised. "Do you have any other questions for me?"

The others had completely slipped her mind. She shook her head. "Not at the moment."

"Okay. I'll try to swing by tonight to check on you. I'll also have a physical therapist stop by to give you an idea of the therapy you'll be doing." He turned to leave. "Remember, don't even think about pushing yourself too hard. Your body has some major healing to do."

She nodded. "Thank you." She glanced at Tracie, who forced a smile. They simultaneously let out a sigh.

* * *

"Hey man, how's it going? How's McNally?"

Sam barely glanced at Shaw as he approached. He shook his head, scooting sideways to make room on the bench directly outside of the hospital.

"That good, huh?" Shaw said sarcastically with a sigh, taking a seat.

"That good." He retorted.

Shaw was quiet a moment. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He said a little too quickly. "Nasty headache, nothing a few ibuprofen can't cure."

"Well that's good," Shaw began, "but I, uh, I wasn't really talking about your physical condition."

"I know."

Shaw cast a glance towards the hospital. "So why aren't you in there?"

"She's talking to her doctor." He responded simply. "Nash is with her."

"Nash?" Shaw's eyebrows rose. "That should be you my friend."

Sam didn't reply, but his looks spoke everything—he completely agreed.

Shaw stood, dusting off his pants. "Well, I was going to go say hi and see how she was doing, but if she's busy, I may grab something to eat then come back. Want to join me?"

"No," Sam responded with a shake of his head. "But thanks."

"Okay," Shaw said, beginning to walk away. "You take care of yourself man."

* * *

I have the next two chapters outlined, so hopefully I can get them up here quickly. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. :)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Wow, thank you guys for your reviews! You are too awesome! Two quick things – Firstly, I made a blooper in spelling Traci's name with an "e" at the end. I have corrected that in this chapter. Secondly, to jh126 (I couldn't send you a message) – the two fatalities were the driver of the mini-van and the death mentioned in chapter four, where Dov and Shaw's vehicle collided with another civilian car on the road. I had it announced on the radio mid chapter four I think… sorry for the confusion! On with the chapter!

* * *

Sam lightly rapped his fist against the wooden door before pushing it open. He looked around for the doctor, who had apparently left, before settling his eyes on Andy. Her eyelids were shut and her breathing was soft—she was sleeping. Probably out cold from exhaustion. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her looking peaceful in the midst of a chaotic situation.

"She passed out half an hour ago." Traci's voice broke his stare. He had almost forgotten someone else was in the room.

"Yeah… she had a hectic last couple of days; she'll need all the rest she can get."

Traci smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "You had a couple of rough days yourself." She stated. "You should go home. Get some sleep, take a shower, get rid of all that… blood."

Sam glanced at his ripped and bloodied uniform. He had almost forgotten that he still looked like he had just stepped out of an accident scene. "How is she? What did the doctor say?"

"She will be fine." She must have known he needed assurance. "It's not as bad as they first thought. She has a broken pelvis. She'll be in the hospital for a week and then on bed rest for another seven weeks. After physical therapy and taking it easy, she'll be good as new. Three to four months, tops."

Sam nodded, digesting the news. Traci made it sound so good, but he knew he was to blame for Andy being off the job for a third of a year. She probably wouldn't forgive him for that. "That's good." He lied. "Who will be staying with her?"

"She'll be staying with me." Traci said. "My mom and I will take care of her."

His brows rose unintentionally, he forced them back down. "Oh." He sputtered. "That is nice of you."

Traci smiled with a shrug. "Yeah. I mean, she really doesn't have anyone else."

Her words stung, but he couldn't really disagree. She was right. He and Andy were just partners. Nothing more. Of course she wouldn't consider him as someone who could be there for her. He wouldn't expect her to be there for him if he were in her place. He hoped she would, but he wouldn't expect it.

"You should go," Traci began, "you look like you could really use a nap."

He nodded, knowing she was right. "Yeah, I'll do that." He moved towards the door. "Hey, keep an eye on her for me, will you? She has a habit of getting herself in trouble."

Traci smiled. "Will do, sir."

"Thanks." He left the room, distracted in his own thoughts. He probably wouldn't have even noticed Luke approaching him, if not for the fact he was holding the largest and brightest bouquet of flowers he had ever seen. He stopped walking, a few feet away. "Hey."

"Hey." Andy's ex echoed.

Sam glanced towards the hospital room door, then back at Luke. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to see Andy." Luke replied. "Didn't realize I needed your permission."

Sam nodded, licking his lips. He placed his hands on his hips in a defensive manner. Not defending himself, of course, defending Andy. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

Luke scoffed. "Like it matters to you." He spat sarcastically. "Oh wait, that's right. You're in love with her."

"Callahan." Sam warned. "I don't think Andy wants to see you."

The detective laughed. "Well, why don't we let her be the judge of that, alright?"

Sam hesitated before moving aside, letting the man by.

"Besides, out of everyone, she probably wants to see you least. You are, after all, the reason she's even in this hospital."

It was a low blow, they both knew it. Sam clenched his teeth and resisted the urge to turn around and punch the guy in the face. He walked calmly out of the hospital, through the parking lot, and down the block. He held it together until he found an old dumpster in a small alley, then he lost it. He hit the unmoving object with his feet and hands until the pain overpowered his anger. Not anger at Luke, anger at himself. He knew the reason he was so bothered by Luke's words was because they were true. And that just nearly killed him.

* * *

Sam unlocked his apartment using the spare key he hid under his neighbors' plant. The long walk from the hospital helped him clear his mind; he hardly noticed the strange looks the other pedestrians on the sidewalk shot him.

He tossed his key on the counter as he shuffled to the fridge. He was more tired than he thought. He grabbed and downed a beer. His phone beeped from in his pocket, reminding him he had a voicemail from the call he had missed on his walk home. He fished his phone out of his pocket and played the message.

_"Hey Sam, it's Sarah, your sister… in case you forgot, you still actually have one. I caught the news this morning… are you okay? You were in that crash… they said your partner was in the hospital, but they didn't mention anything about you. Though I would have rather have heard from you instead of seeing it on TV, right now I could forgive you if you just call me back. Please. Love you."_

Sam quickly sent a text to Sarah letting her know he was okay and that he would call later. That should satisfy her for now.

He made his way into the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt in the process. He paused when he passed in front of the mirror, staring wide-eyed at the reflection in front of him. He looked even worse than the day before. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent, but the dried patches of blood stood out the most. As he took off his clothes, he realized most of the blood wasn't his—it was Andy's. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it didn't go away. He stepped into the warm shower and began to wash yesterday off…

* * *

"—yeah, I'll be there in a little bit… yes… mom, please. It'll be fine! We'll make it work… okay…"

Traci's conversation with her mother had pulled her out of sleepy land. She was awake now, but her eyes remained closed, slightly embarrassed that she was eavesdropping on her best friend.

"I'll go to the store and get stuff we'll need… no I'm not going to ask her to reimburse me!"

Andy felt guilty. They were arguing about her—about her coming to stay with them. She hadn't thought it was a good idea to begin with, but she was even surer now. Traci and her mom already had their hands full with Leo, dropping an invalid into that mess would create a disaster. Annoyed that she didn't have another option at the moment, she groaned slightly, letting Traci think she was waking up.

"I got to go, mom. I'll see you later. Love you!" Traci hung up the phone just as Andy's eyes fluttered open. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Okay," her voice sounded dry and flat. "The pain surprisingly isn't too bad… I thought it would be worse."

Traci smiled. "Well, they do have you on a butt load of pain killers."

"True." Andy nodded. Silence settled in the room, giving Andy the opportunity to glance around subtly, searching. It would be a lie if she said she was searching for nothing—she was looking for any traces of him.

"I told Sam to go home." Traci supplied.

"And he listened?" The words slipped past her lips before she realized what she was saying. She stammered to explain, "What I mean is, he's stubborn. I can't ever get him to listen to me." It wasn't true. He nearly always listened to her.

Tracie chuckled, ducking her head so Andy couldn't see her expression. "Nice cover."

Andy smiled sheepishly.

There was a knock on the door, causing both of the girls to look up to see two men entering the room. One in a lab coat and another in scrubs.

"Hi, I'm Will Deeds, I will be your physical therapist. Well, at least while you're in the hospital. You may opt to find a private clinic to conduct the remainder of your therapy once you are discharged." The one in scrubs said, moving towards the bed with an extended hand.

"Nice to meet you…" she said as she shook his hand.

Will smiled. "You too… I wish it were under better circumstances."

Andy grinned and turned to the other man.

"Hi, uh, I'm Ed… I have some forms I need you to fill out when you have a chance…" The man—a boy really—mumbled. He sat the papers on the bed. "I'll swing by later to pick them up."

Andy nearly laughed, turning her attention back to the therapist. "Okay then, why don't you tell me your plans of torture for the next week…"

* * *

I would love to hear what you guys think! Please drop me a little note and say hi! ;)


	9. Chapter 9

So, a bird is responsible for the delay in this chapter. Let me explain. My 3-year-old nephew was involved in a crazy accident that was caused by a bird flying into a power pole, creating an explosion and fire, which led to my sweet little nephew being electrocuted by a fallen power line. He is alive and doing alright, but he has 3rd degree burns on his legs, but mainly he is lucky to even be alive. I have been at the hospital 24/7 these last 5 days, during his surgeries and pain. It has definitely been the hardest week of my life. I was hoping to get a lot of this written while I was there, but there was never any time. Thank you guys for the reviews! They made me push past the craziness of the hospital for a little while and bring me back into my comfort zone—writing. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"I come bearing gifts!" Sam proudly announced as he stepped into the hospital room, placing a bag of greasy-smelling deliciousness on a nearby table.

Three set of eyes fell upon him, watching him smile with pride.

"Hey." Andy said, sounding surprised to see him.

"Hey partner." Sam responded, pulling out a couple burgers out of the bag. "I got your favorite… and plenty to go around."

"One for me?" A small voice piped up.

Sam nodded towards the little kid who was coloring a picture on the edge of Andy's bed, crayons and paper scattered over her legs. "Especially one for you, Leo."

The little boy smiled, scrambling to his feet and accepting the greasy goodness eagerly. "Thank you!"

"I hope that is okay…?" Sam asked hesitatingly to Traci, who nodded her approval.

"Of course. Thank you, Swarek."

Sam smiled, fished out another burger and fries from the bag, and walked over to Andy. "Here. It sure beats that cafeteria crap."

"Thank you." She grinned, stuffing a French fry into her mouth. "These are delicious."

Sam nodded, looking towards Traci. "I have some more in the bag…" he gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.

"I'm good, but thank you."

"Cool…" he stood there awkwardly, glancing between the two women before settling his eyes on Leo. He hadn't really thought this plan out. In his mind, food meant conversation. Having a conversation with Andy was something he had wanted to do since the first day she was the in hospital, unfortunately Nash seemed to be glued to her side. He didn't know when he would have an opportunity to do so.

Andy stared at him, her mouth agape just ever so slightly, he thought she might speak… she didn't.

"So, uh," Traci began, moving towards her son. "I guess we should be getting home… I told my mom we would be home for dinner tonight. Can you thank Mr. Swarek for the burger, Leo?"

"Thanks." The little boy muttered, his mouthful of food.

"You're welcome, buddy." Sam grinned, grateful to Traci. From the look on her face, he would guess she knew exactly what he wanted to do.

Traci leaned over Andy's bed and gave a one-handed, half heart-felt hug. "I'll see you later, sweetie." She said before backing away, pulling her son along. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Traci!" Andy said, watching them leave the room, the door closing behind them.

Sam stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, unsure what his next move should be. Seeing Andy eye him awkwardly, he grabbed some food and maneuvered to the bedside chair. "I forgot drinks… want me to hit a vending machine?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you." Andy said, swallowing down another fry. "There's a pitcher of water on the nightstand if you want some…"

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm good… thanks."

There was a moment of silence. "So… where is everyone?"

Andy raised her eyebrows, as if confused by his question.

"Your friends," he explained. "I thought this room would be filled with people as well as balloons and teddy bears."

"Oh," Andy said with a laugh. "Believe it or not, most people actually have better things to do than to hang around with me at the hospital."

"No way."

"Yep," she grinned, her smile taking over her face. "Well, that and they had work."

"Oh." He nodded, understandingly.

"My dad stopped by earlier." She said absentmindedly. "But I sent him away. He was too mopey. Going on and on about how I need to be more careful, how he was never seriously injured on the force, even after all those years. Going off on how you—"

She stopped midsentence, as if realizing she was about to say something she would regret. He didn't even have to wonder what she was about to say, but he asked anyway. "Going off on how I… what?"

Andy looked at him sheepishly, knowing full well he knew exactly what she was going to say. "Nothing." She lied.

_Going off on how I almost got you killed_. He finished in his head. "Hmm." He shrugged. "So what did the doctor say?"

"A lot of things I have already forgotten." She said, rolling her eyes. "But mainly that I would be in the hospital for the next week, and then be on bed rest for a while after that."

Sam nodded, not bothering to mention he already knew that already from Traci. "Yeah? That doesn't sound too bad… who's going to help you out while you're stuck in bed? Your dad?"

"Oh dear God I hope not!" Andy responded quickly with a chuckle. "No, um, Traci's going to put me up."

"Oh." He nodded again, pretending to digest the news. "You going to sleep on her pull-out couch again?"

Andy was quiet a moment. "Um, I don't really know, actually. We haven't really talked too much about it. I'm guessing she'll probably offer me her bedroom…"

"Sounds cozy." Sam quipped.

She forced a smile. "Yeah."

He was quiet a moment. "I have a spare room."

"What?" Her brows knitted together as she leaned a little closer, as if straining to hear him.

"I have a spare room." He repeated. "You're welcome to it. Though I've never been in Nash's bedroom, I have to say it is most definitely a step up from a couch. I don't have a kid or a mom living with me. Uh—I have a bunch of vacation time that is going to expire soon— Best has been hounding on me to use it, so there would actually be someone there twenty-four seven. I cook, I clean… you could really do worse."

Andy sat there, her mouth open slightly as she tried to digest his words.

"You're going to catch flies with your mouth hanging open like that."

She instantly shut it, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Sam, I don't know if that would be such a good idea…"

"And staying with Nash is?" He countered, eyebrows raised. "Listen, it's a perfect solution. I know you don't want to burden anyone, and you most definitely wouldn't be burdening me. I want to help."

"Sam…" Again, her mouth hang open just the slightest as she searched for words. "I—I…"

"You what?"

"Why are you offering?"

He swallowed, debating if he wanted to tell her the truth. "Because I feel bad for what happened. It's my fault—"

"No it's—"

"Shh…" he pressed his finger to her lips, shushing her instantly. "Let me finish."

She nodded, wide-eyed.

"It is my fault." He spoke in all honesty. "I want to be there for you. I want to make things right. I can't go back in time and change things, so my only option is helping you when you need it the most. Please let me help you."

She stared at him a good minute before speaking. "Okay."

Sam was startled by her words, as he hadn't expected her to agree so easily. "Okay." He smiled, pulling his finger off her lips.

"Okay." She grinned as well.

Sam forced himself not to read anything more into her decision than what it was: Andy accepting help. He gestured towards her burger, encouraging her to eat. "Hurry up before it gets cold."

Andy took a bite. "Oh my gosh, this is better than I remembered!"

"Sure beats that cafeteria crap, huh?"

Andy chuckled. "I must be the only person on the planet that actually likes hospital food. You get nice, healthy food with jello on the side… it's awesome."

"Great. I invited a crazy person into my home. What the hell was I thinking?"

* * *

I have no idea when I will be able to post the next chapter. I am going back to the hospital to stay with my nephew on Wednesday, so I might try squeezing out a chapter between now and then, but to be honest, it's been so crazy I probably won't be able to. I know this chapter was short, but at least it's something for now. In case any of you are curious about my nephew, I have a facebook link below that friends put together for him, so you can get updated information.

facebook.(com)/helpstephenandfamily (I can't actually post the link, so if you want to view it, you will need to remove the parenthesis ;)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and prayers for my nephew! He is actually in his third surgery as I write, and will probably have another one on Friday, maybe Monday. I caught a glimpse at his burns (now 12 days old) and I almost threw up. Third degree burns are not a pretty sight. Anyways, this is a rushed chapter and it may feel like it… hopefully not though. Enjoy.

* * *

"Oww… oww! Oww! OWW!" The escalating screams could be heard on the entire third floor, bouncing off every wall and surface, echoing back—mimicking her. "Aren't you supposed to stop when it starts hurting? OWW!"

"Most physical therapy results in pain, Andy. If it didn't, you probably wouldn't need therapy." Will, her physical therapist, said. "The more you move around and exercise, the faster your body will heal."

Andy groaned as she took another step, her legs nearly collapsing with the weight and pain. "That's easy for you to say!" She had spent all yesterday in bed without having to do any sort of exercises, she had a unrealistic idea that today would go a lot like that, but Will had proved her wrong. He had stopped by her room half an hour ago with a walker and a smile—she realized at that second she hated him. She was just now realizing that he was from hell, as no one else would possibly choose to torture people as a career.

"Stop being such a baby." Sam joked, walking alongside her in the hallway, one hand on her upper arm to help her keep balance.

"They could have at least bumped up the meds!" Andy gasped between breaths. "The pain is killing me!"

"Okay, okay," Will said, holding up his hand to stop her. "Let's turn you around and have you walk back to your room and we can be done for the day."

"I have to walk all the way back?" Andy exclaimed, her eyes wide and sweat dripping from her forehead.

"It's twenty feet. You can handle it." Sam assured.

Andy glared at him as she let the two men help turn the walker around. Before she had started her PT, she assured herself she was going to keep it together, to not show weakness, to convince Sam that she was totally fine. Once she put the tiniest bit of weight on her foot, that thought completely escaped her mind. She didn't care who she bothered or who heard her whine, she was in pain and she wanted the world to know it.

"I can't go any further." Andy said suddenly, stopping just feet away from her room.

"Sure you can, just a couple more steps and you'll be there." Will said, nodding towards a nearby nurse to open the door. "Come on, Andy, you can do this."

Her hands were gripping the handles so tightly that they had gone numb. It hurt to walk, it hurt to stand, breathe—exist. She tried to push past it all, to take another step, to make it to the door, but as soon as she lifted her leg, pins and needles pierced every area of her body. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe—she couldn't even stand. It wasn't until she felt two strong hands slide under her arms that she realized she was falling. The hands caught her before she could make contact with the ground.

Will seemed to scramble, not having expected any problems. "Delia!" He called for the nurse.

She was still in pain, more pain than she could remember ever being in. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Her chest was so heavy. She still wasn't breathing.

"Andy?" Sam spoke from behind her. She realized he must have been the one who caught her. "Andy, can you hear me?"

She realized her eyes were closed—they must have thought she passed out. She tried to open them, but everything was still black and painful. She wished she would pass out to escape it all.

"Andy?" Sam's voice was on the edge of panic. He shifted her in his arms; trying to wake her up or maybe just trying to get a better grip? She couldn't tell. She was limp against his body. She barely felt another set of hands on her, carrying her, or when they laid her on the bed.

"What's wrong with her?" Sam's voice spoke again.

"She must have blacked out." The therapist said, his own voice sounding hurried.

She wanted to tell them that she didn't black out, that she was okay, but she couldn't communicate. It only lasted a minute—the blackness and the inability to speak—as her vision cleared and she saw Sam standing over her, worried. His brow was knitted together so tightly it formed a unibrow. His eyes looked huge and his lips were pressed tightly on top of each other. Despite the temporary unibrow, he looked cute. Worried was a good look on him.

"I'm fine… just being a baby." She teased light-heartedly. She definitely didn't feel fine, the pain was kicking her butt, but she didn't want him to worry any more than he already was. At least she didn't feel nauseous anymore.

He looked dismayed, but smiled just the same. "Yeah, um, about that… I—"

"Don't worry about it." She interrupted with a forced chuckle. "I'll just make sure I remember that line when you're recovering from something."

"How are you feeling, Andy?" Will asked, trying to straighten out her legs on the bed. "I have never had that happen before."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I told you it hurt."

Will looked down, red greeting his cheeks as he blushed, embarrassed. "I am sorry. I won't push you so hard next time. I'll have a nurse come in and bump up your pain meds. Don't forget to do those exercises I showed you earlier—you need to keep moving around or walking will become ten times harder once you get out of here."

Andy nodded. She knew he was right. Today had been horrible, but if she wanted to get back on the job quick, she would need to continue her PT. She thanked him as he left the room, off to find a nurse.

"Do you want me to punch the guy?"

The question was so random; all she could do was laugh. "What?"

"Maybe not punch him… I could run his name though, see if he has anything we can get him on. Unpaid parking tickets maybe… he looks like that type of fella…"

She continued to laugh. Maybe it was the drugs she was already on, maybe it was sheer exhaustion, but she couldn't stop herself… not until she saw Sam's concerned face at least. She cleared her throat and looked apologetic. "I'm sorry… I think I must be tired."

"I bet. You walked a whole twenty feet today." He said with a wink.

Andy was glad his humor had returned.

A nurse came in, upping her medications. "You doing alright, honey?" The short, plump woman asked.

"Better now, thank you."

"Do you need anything?"

Andy shook her head. "No, I'm good, thanks."

With a nod, the nurse left.

"You hungry?" Sam asked, glancing towards the clock and realizing it was about lunchtime.

She shook her head. "Not really. Just sleepy." Her eyelids felt heavy.

"Okay, well, why don't you take a nap? I'll swing by the cafeteria and get me something to eat."

"Sounds good." Snuggling her pillow as she fell asleep. She was out before Sam left the room.

* * *

Sam stared at the now cold chicken strips and oily pasta on his plate, unable to eat. He couldn't get the image of Andy nearly collapsing on him today. He should have known that the pain was probably worse than she was letting on. This was McNally, after all, when would she voluntarily admit how bad things were?

He stood, grabbing his tray and dumping the contents into the trashcan, leaving the tray on top. He pressed the button for the elevators, and waited a good minute before it arrived. The speed of the elevator always made his stomach do flip-flops—it was too damn fast. He stepped off the lift, now grateful he hadn't eaten anything.

The nurses and janitors knew him well by now. Andy had only been in the hospital for two days, but they had seen him be by her side almost the entire time. He wondered if they thought they were dating or married or something. He shook his head at the thought. Wishful thinking. That's all it was—all it probably would ever be. Wishful thinking on his part. When had he become such a sap? At one point in his life, he was more than content with being single. Then a girl tackled him, things had never been quite the same.

He grabbed a handful of sanitizer, something the hospital tried to enforce, before entering her room. It smelled like rubbing alcohol—someone must have just cleaned the floors. He took his usual spot on the chair next to her. It was still pulled out into a bed from sleeping on it the night before. He wished he had realized it did that the first night, when he tried to sleep on the chair with his legs dangling over the side. He must have looked ridiculous to the nurses who came in ever few hours to check on Andy and update the machines. How Andy managed to sleep at all with people constantly coming in and out of the room he couldn't understand. He woke up every time someone entered the room—every two hours like clockwork.

He squished the pillow under his head until it was firm enough for him. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off to sleep, knowing that in thirty-seven minutes, a nurse would come in and check on Andy, waking him up.

* * *

So, I do not have any idea when I will be able to update again. I am returning home (been staying at the hospital) tonight, so hopefully it won't be too long! Please review and let me know what you think. :)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm at the hospital for the weekend with my nephew. It's odd; it's like the only place I have time to write now. When I get back home, I'm bombarded with stuff I've been putting off. Thank you all for your reviews! Enjoy.

* * *

It had been four days since the accident – Sam had lived at the hospital the last three. It hadn't taken long for the nurses to warm up to him. They snuck him into the showers once a day, which was supposed to be off limits to anyone other than staff. They gave him a heads-up if he should order take-out because the cafeteria was only serving crap or would text him updates on Andy when he needed to take a walk to clear his head or give Andy some personal space.

They had a routine now, him and Andy. He woke up at seven to get ready for the day; Andy would wake up half an hour later. Breakfast was at eight, and then Andy would freshen up while he took a walk around the hospital grounds. Sometimes she would have morning visitors, depending on their shifts. Then they would make small talk until noon—lunch time. After lunch, the torture starts. The physical therapist was there at one on the dot every afternoon. Next came the TV watching while Andy practiced her new exercises. Normally Traci and Leo would come about three and stay to dinnertime, Dov and Chris would normally show up around there as well. Occasionally they would stay for dinner, but usually they just went home. After dinner, they would play bananagrams. He always lost. He would take another walk about eight, letting Andy have some personal time, and would be back by bedtime at ten to brush his teeth and climb into the chair beside her. It wasn't the grandest life, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. He was where he wanted to be.

On day four, after lunch, Andy's dad came to visit just after lunch and completely threw the schedule off. Tommy made a beeline for his daughter, barely giving Sam enough time to jump out of the seat and move to the back of the room, letting the dad sit next to Andy. Tommy completely ignored his gesture. In fact, he completely ignored Sam.

"Hey pumpkin." The older McNally greeted as he swooped in for a half hug, before settling back into the chair. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm feeling better." Andy glanced between Sam and her father, her eyes settling on Tommy as she forced a smile. Sam raised a brow, trying to decipher the expression she carried on her face. Fear? Embarrassment? He couldn't quite tell.

Tommy scooted closer, clasping her hand into his. "You sure? How's the pain?"

"Good, really good. It only hurts when I move around. If I stay still, I sometimes forget why I'm here." She drew out her words, trying to assure her worried dad.

Tommy looked towards Sam, his eyes narrow. Sam knew Tommy didn't believe her. He almost intervened on their father-daughter conversation to defend her, as he knew Andy was telling the truth. Andy was a horrible liar, there was no way she could hide being in pain from him. But the look that Tommy had given him was enough to keep him quiet. He knew he wasn't in the position to stand up to him.

Tommy didn't have time to say anything else before Will the therapist entered the room, pushing a walker. "Good afternoon, Andy. You ready for some PT?"

Andy groaned and let her head collapse onto her pillow. "You hate me."

"Nah, I care about you. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here." He winked, moving to the side of her bed.

The two of them went through the same conversation every day. Sam would laugh, if not for the fact that his partner was about to endure some nasty pain.

"Alrighty then," Will began as he took a seat on the edge of her bed. "We're going to try some of the basic exercises I gave you yesterday before we get to any of the hard stuff, okay?"

Andy rolled her eyes, but Sam knew she was just trying to prepare herself. She slowly inched her way into a sitting position. "Ochy… oww!"

"That's it, looking good. Now, swing your legs over the side of the bed."

This is where it got loud. Out of instinct, Sam quickly moved to her side and extended his hand. Andy immediately took it and starting squeezing the hell out of it.

"OWW!" She screamed, her body protesting. "Owwww!"

"What the hell are you doing to her?" Tommy bellowed, pushing Sam's hand away so he could get closer to his daughter. "Can't you see you're hurting her?"

"Getting out of bed is the hardest part for her," Sam said on autopilot. He had explained this to her friends several times when they would visit and she needed to get up to use the bathroom or something. She was too damn stubborn sometimes that she refused to use a bedpan or catheter. He watched Andy's face turn pink—she was embarrassed. Because of her dad. Whether it was because she was showing weakness in front of him or because he was embarrassing her, he couldn't tell. "She—"

"She wouldn't be in this mess if you were a half-decent cop!" Tommy spoke in a loud, but controlled voice. "This is your fault, Swarek. You should have known better."

Sam gulped, taking a couple steps back. His words pained him, but they weren't anything he hadn't told himself. "You're right, sir."

"No he's not!" Andy argued, her voice barely audible through her pain. Her face scrunched up tightly as she tried to control the pain and regain her voice. Her eyes grew wide, tears lining the bottom. She looked at him as though she was pleading with him. Pleading him to understand? "This was an accident. If anyone is to blame, I am."

Tommy didn't seem to hear her. "Get the hell out of here, Swarek, before I do something I might regret later."

Sam hesitated, watching as Andy closed her eyes and lowered her head. He wished he could stay and comfort her, but he knew at the moment, he was the problem. He nodded, stepping towards the door. "Okay." With that, he left the room.

* * *

"You had no right to talk to Sam that way." Andy spat bitterly to her father, not caring that her physical therapist overheard their conversation as he monitored her exercises. "This wasn't Sam's fault and you know it."

"He could have killed you, Andy" Tommy spoke with all seriousness, defending his actions.

Andy paused mid-exercise and turned to her father. Her features softened when she saw the worry on his face. "He didn't do anything, dad. It was an accident. Accidents happen, sometimes it's no one's fault. Blaming Sam doesn't help anyone or fix anything. He already blames himself enough; he doesn't need it rubbed in his face."

Tommy sighed and rubbed his face. "I know."

"Okay, then maybe you should tell him. He sure as hell is not going to listen to me." She turned back to her therapist, lowering her leg with just a wince. "He needs to know this isn't his fault. He shouldn't be forced to stay here just because he feels bad."

"Huh?" Tommy seemed to lose track of what she was saying. "Forced to stay here?"

Andy switched to the other leg. Her left felt stiffer, harder to move. "He hasn't left this hospital in days," she explained through gritted teeth. "He feels obligated to stay. If I told him to go home, he'd think it was because I was mad at him, or I blamed him, or something crazy. But he shouldn't have to stay here just because he feels guilty."

Her father was quiet for a moment, but when he spoke, his accent was thicker than normal. She recalled the countless times he'd sit her down to have a serious conversation about boys or her decision to be a police officer—his voice would do the same thing. "Andy… I don't think Sam is staying here out of any sort of obligation or because he feels guilty, or any of that nonsense you just said. Don't tell me you haven't noticed the way he looks at you or talks to you."

"But, he said—"

"It doesn't matter what he said." Tommy said firmly. "Guys never say what they mean. Sure, he feels guilty, you would too if you were in his place—anyone would, but that doesn't mean he's only staying here out of obligation, sweetie."

His words stunned her. She hadn't even considered that Sam could possibly want to stay with her. She knew he liked her at one point, but after the whole Luke thing, she thought that was over. She thought he was through with her. It hadn't even crossed her mind that maybe he wasn't. "What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not." Tommy replied. "Ask him."

Andy rolled her eyes. "I can't do that."

"Yes you can, and you should. Sam is a respectful guy, Andy. He most likely won't try to approach the subject while you're hurt, and maybe not even after that."

She hadn't realized she was crying until a tear slid down her face. She quickly wiped it away. "Okay. Okay, I will."

Tommy smiled. "That's my girl."

After a moment of silence, Will the physical therapist's voice killed the mood. "So, Andy, you ready to try the walker now?"

* * *

I will be back at home tomorrow and will try really hard to update within a couple days. Hope you all understand. I look forward to hearing from you! :)


	12. Chapter 12

A light, cold breeze nipped at his exposed skin, sending shivers down his spine. He hadn't thought to bring his jacket when he left Andy's room, and the lukewarm coffee in his hands was doing a puny job of keeping him warm. He shuffled his way back into the hospital, greeting the security guard, Roy, as he headed towards the elevators.

Sam pushed the down button, deciding to chill in the cafeteria for a while, just to let things blow over or in case Tommy was still with Andy. He had stirred up enough trouble there, he wanted to avoid any more.

The elevator arrived with a 'ding'. The doors opened, and there stood Tommy McNally—it was as if the universe was screaming _screw you_.

"Swarek." Andy's dad acknowledged, stepping out of the lift and coming face-to-face with him.

"Mr. McNally," Sam said, having a hard time looking the older man in the eyes.

Tommy crossed his arms and tightened his lips. "Andy thinks I'm going to tell you that this wasn't your fault. She thinks you'd listen if it came from me."

Sam remained quiet, sensing a big, and well deserved, _but_…

"I'm going to let her think that. She already forbade me to visit her the last time I came and started on you, I'm not going to let that happen again. But, we both know that this was your fault." The old man sighed, looking as tired as Sam felt. "I'm not saying that if I had been in your place, I wouldn't do the same. You were doing your job, I understand that, but you have your partner to think about. She's still a rookie, Swarek, and she respects you—she didn't know any better than to follow your lead. You nearly killed my daughter."

Sam nodded. "Yes sir, I know."

"I'm not going to say any more than that," Tommy began again, "because I know you're beating yourself up more than I ever could. Just know, if you ever do something as stupid as that again, I will hold you personally accountable. I still have a lot of pull, I could get you transferred in a second."

"I understand, sir." Sam said, not bothered at all by the threat. "It won't happen again."

The older man walked away. "I know."

* * *

Half an hour after her dad left, Sam returned in a seemingly good mood. He had a smile on his face and he looked more relaxed than the last few days. She wondered if her dad had spoken to him yet. She tried not to verbalize her curiosity, but once Sam started channel surfing, she couldn't help but ask.

"Did you see my dad when he left?"

Sam glanced at her casually from the corner of his eye, then returned his gaze to the television. "Uh, yeah... I ran into him in the lobby. Why?"

"No reason." She said with a shrug. Silence. "He just mentioned he might have a word to say to you or something."

"He did."

Andy wanted to roll her eyes. Was he purposely messing with her? "Yeah? Good."

"Want to watch a Gary Cooper movie or Spongebob? There's not a lot else on."

She laid her head against her pillow with an irritated, quiet sigh. "Cooper."

* * *

Two days passed. The hospital routine continued, though something was off… different even. Sam hadn't acted the same since her father's visit. It took her a while to put her finger on what it was—what was different. Sam was being more distant. Not drastically so, but enough to notice. His walks became longer and his conversations shorter. But what she noticed the most—what she missed the most—was the lack of a simple gesture, him offering her his hand when physical therapy got too hard.

She stayed awake in her bed all night last night trying to figure out why he was pulling back. What had her father said that would have changed him? Did knowing that her dad didn't blame him take a load off his chest, freeing him from giving any more than basic support? Had she been right? Had he felt obligated to stay with her, make small talk, and offer his hand, because he felt responsible? Did her dad ask Sam if he liked her? She wouldn't put it pass her father. Maybe that's why he was backing off—maybe he worried that his actions would be received wrong. Her dad must have been wrong about Sam liking her.

Andy wanted to ask him why, what had changed? She nearly called her dad, but she didn't for the same reason she didn't ask Sam—she didn't want to know the answer if it was because he did not have feelings for her, and he was simply worried that she was getting the wrong impression. She decided not to approach the subject. She pretended as though she didn't notice the subtle differences, but her mind was already made up. He was pulling back because he did not like her.

Tomorrow she would be released from the hospital and into his care. She had secretly thought it was a good idea at first, a much better option than staying at Traci's or her dad's, but now she was dreading it. If things continued this way, she was sure it would get more awkward between them. The next couple months would be miserable.

"S-U-R-U-P is not a word." Sam's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Andy looked down at her bananagrams puzzle. She had not been paying attention to the game they had started after dinner. She swapped the first U for a Y and tried to focus on the game.

"You okay?" Sam asked, his voice casual as he continued spelling his own words.

"Yeah," she lied badly. "Just distracted."

Sam was quiet, taking another glance at her puzzle. "You sure? Because you spelled movie wrong too."

Andy removed the second O from the word, adding it onto an empty T. "Thanks."

"Wanna talk about it?" Sam asked after a moment of silence.

She looked at him, confused. "Talk about what? My poor spelling?"

"No. Whatever is bothering you."

Andy tensed and picked up another letter to distract herself. "I didn't say anything was bothering me."

"Fine, _distracting_ you." Sam corrected, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Want to talk about whatever is distracting you?"

_Not with you_ her mind answered. "Just stupid stuff." She answered nonchalantly. "Just the usual stuff."

Sam nodded, not pressing her further. "Peel."

She grabbed another letter from the middle, trying to add it to her current words.

"Peel." Sam said again.

A part of her, the competitive part, was freaking out that Sam was winning; the other part could care less. She was annoyed at him. It wasn't rational maybe, but she didn't care. For the first time in a week, she was actually looking forward to Sam going on one of his walks. She didn't know why all of the sudden she couldn't stand to be in the same room with him. It must have been because he asked her if she was okay—something he hadn't done in two days. It was like he actually cared now. The back and forth was driving her crazy. She felt like she would explode if she had to sit across from him for another minute.

"Bananas!" Sam's triumphed voice declared, his hands raised high in victory and a large smile on his face. If she weren't mad at him, it would be damn cute.

"Good job." She congratulated with as much enthusiasm as she could infuse. She scooped up her pieces and put them away; glad she wouldn't have to force herself to pay attention any longer. She felt mentally drained.

Sam's smile faded as he put the game away. He stood, stretching. She could hear his joints pop. "I'm going for a walk. Be back in a bit."

Andy watched him leave, not feeling the need to respond. She was too damn tired to try and force herself to be friendly.

* * *

What did you think? Please leave a review and let me know. :)


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. For those asking about my nephew, he is finally out of the hospital! He's had 5 surgeries already, and will continue to have 1-2 every year for the next 15 years, but what is absolutely amazing is that he is walking now (well, limping, but it's close enough)! Seeing this little guy walk around, saying "ow" with each step he takes is just glorious and heartbreaking. Thank you all for your encouragements and understanding during this time. I'm looking forward to everything going back to normal. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Andy threw her hands over her mouth, trying to muffle her cry. She watched in the mirror as tears leaked from her eyes, smudging her newly applied makeup as they slid down her face. Clenching her teeth together in attempt to keep silent, she released her mouth and hurriedly wiped the tears away before they could do more damage. She knew mascara would be a bad idea.

"You okay in there?" Her partner asked from outside the bathroom. He was waiting for her to get dressed so they could leave the hospital. She had, stupidly, refused help offered by one of the nurses, insisting that she could manage on her own. Sam hadn't said anything in objection, but from the look he had given her, he knew it was a bad idea. She was beginning to agree with him, though she was too stubborn to admit it or ask for help.

"Yeah, fine. I'll be out in a minute." She stepped away from the mirror, deciding to try putting her jeans on once again. When she asked Traci to go to her place and pick up some clothes, she had forgotten to think about the practicality of what to get. The jeans were impossible to put on without moving her pelvis in some way, which of course, resulted in a major pain spike.

"Okay." Sam said after a pause. "Let me know if you change your mind."

Andy took her jeans off the toilet. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her leg high in attempt to not bend over. Her body was not used to the strain being put on just one leg, she began to lose balance. Panicked, she started hopping backwards, trying not to topple over as she forced her foot through the pant leg it was stuck in. Each hop was more painful than the one before it, she couldn't help but cry. "Ow! Oww! OW!"

"Andy?" Sam's concerned voice was closer than before. He must have been right outside the door.

She was too busy trying not to fall to respond. Her back eventually collided with a wall and her footing slipped. She could feel the pain before she even reached the floor. In that second, it felt like a vacuum had come and sucked all the air out of her body. She opened her mouth to breathe, but it was as though her organs momentarily forgot how to work.

"Andy?" His fists pounded on the door violently. "Andy I'm coming in!"

She gasped for breath, taking in so much air that her body pushed it back out with a cough. She heard the doorknob clink aggressively and realized she had locked the door. She groaned and mustered enough strength to speak before Sam broke the door down. "I'm fine."

"That didn't sound fine!" He nearly screamed, still trying the doorknob. "What the hell happened?"

She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't let herself. "Got my foot stuck. I'm okay now."

"You're a horrible liar, Andy." His voice had softened. She heard a thump—his head against the wood no doubt.

"I'm fine!" She insisted, grasping the toilet and hoisting herself up as best she could. The pain didn't dull until she made it to her feet. She stood with her back pressed against the wall, waiting for the world to stop spinning and the pain to go away. It only took a minute to feel back to normal. With a deep breath, she repositioned herself against the wall, attempting once again to pull on her jeans. It hurt like hell, but she was successful this time. She checked and fixed her makeup, then reached for the door.

Two eyes stared her down as she emerged from the bathroom. Sam stood five feet away, arms crossed.

"I'm fine." She said again, reaching for the walker to help balance herself. She walked yesterday without the device, but she had exerted more energy than she would have liked with the little tumble and felt too drained to move around on her own.

"What happened in there?" His voice was even, making it impossible to identify an emotion behind the words.

"I told you. My foot got stuck—it hurt." She pushed the walker to the bed and slowly lowered herself onto the lumpy mattress. "You ready to go?"

She could tell by his face that he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He turned his back to her, walking towards the door. "I'll go get the nurse."

Andy sighed. She knew that this was just the beginning of a long and torturous journey. She talked to Traci yesterday about possibly coming to stay with her and her mom after she recovered enough to move around, hopefully no more than a month. She didn't know if she could handle staying with Sam any longer than that—she had no doubt he felt the same way.

"Hey sweetie. You excited to get out of here?" Mary, the morning nurse asked as she entered the room, pushing a wheelchair in front of her.

"I don't seriously have to ride out in that thing, do I?"

Mary laughed. "Hospital policy."

"I was afraid as much." She said with a sigh.

* * *

Sam gripped the handles of the wheelchair tightly, determined hold onto Andy in some way—to keep her safe, even if it was just for a couple hundred feet to the elevator.

He was still angry with himself for not getting the nurse after Andy's incident in the bathroom. Hearing her cry through the thick door told him more than her words did. Andy was no wimp, which made him worry that she had actually injured herself more than she was letting on. It was hard to not demand tests be done, to make sure she was still well enough to be released. It wasn't his place, he knew that. He also knew that Andy wasn't stupid—she would say something if she truly hurt herself… wouldn't she?

The elevator dinged, announcing their arrival on the ground floor. As the doors opened, he barely had time to push her out of the lift before he heard it—the applause. He smiled half-heartedly as he watched their coworkers swarm around his partner, giving Andy high-fives and congratulating her on her recovery. He envied them. He wished he could be like them, light-hearted and genuinely happy for her—not guilty for her being here. He pushed his thoughts away, trying to focus on the words Ollie was speaking to him.

"How are you holding up, buddy?" His friend asked him. "Frank said you took some time off?"

Sam nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced around, keeping his voice low amongst the volume of Andy's friends. "Um, yeah, I am. I'm going to help McNally out for a bit. The doctor said they could only release her if she had someone to help her out."

"Oh." Ollie was quiet. Sam could tell he had more to say.

"What?"

Ollie shrugged. "I dunno. Nash had mentioned that Andy was going to stay with her, and then the next day she said Andy was going to stay with you—I was just trying to figure out what was happening."

Sam sighed, looking at the happy faces around them. "Not now, Ollie. Not now." He cleared his throat, his voice loud and clear. "Hey people! Sorry to ruin the party, but we're blocking the elevators. If we could move this gathering over to the right a bit, I'm sure that would be greatly appreciated."

The swarm of people followed his direction. He wheeled Andy over to the wall and let go of the handles. He took a couple steps back, giving room everyone some more room. Frank Best followed him, holding out a hand. Sam shook it. "Hey sir."

"Sammy, how are you doing?"

"Good, really good." He lied quickly, not bothering to hide it. "Excited to get out of here."

"Yeah, I've heard that you've been staying here with McNally. How's that been?"

Sam rolled his eyes in his mind. "It's been going well. Andy's been showing a lot of improvement. I'm sure she'll back on her feet in no time."

"That's good to hear." Frank said, nodding. "Hey, I thought you should know, we finished up our review on what happened during the chase. Sam… you're not at fault. You did everything right."

Sam swallowed, trying to convince himself that Frank's words were meaningless. "Thank you sir, but I wrote in my report that there were two instances that I should have backed off."

"Yes, I know, I read your report, I also read McNally's. They both match up, though you both made sure to blame yourselves and not the other." Frank tried not to chuckle. "Our review concluded that your decision to stay on the chase was a valid and well thought out choice. It did not put you or your partner's lives in any unnecessary danger. Sam, it could have happened to anyone. If it wasn't you, it would have been Chris and Gail. The only person who was at fault was the driver. Do you understand?"

"I understand sir." Sam responded before the Staff Sargent's words could sink in. "Thank you sir."

Frank wondered back over to Andy, saying a few words to her, before leaving. Nicole and Ollie left to, but not before saying goodbye to him. Ollie said he'd call, that they should talk soon.

Sam moved towards Andy. "Hey, you ready to head out of here?"

Andy looked relieved. He wondered if she was overwhelmed by all her visitors. "Hell yes. I can't wait to get out of this place."

"Well, it is great to see you looking so much better." Chris said with a smile. "We missed you around the station."

"Yeah," Dov said with a nod. "It's surprisingly quiet without you. I swear the only excitement we get is when you're on duty."

She chuckled. "Yeah, well, trouble seems to follow me wherever I go."

Traci rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately." She leaned over to get a hug. "Well, we should go and leave you be. Call me if you need anything. Either of you." She looked from one partner to the next.

"Thanks, will do." Andy responded. Sam merely nodded.

And so one by one, they left. Sam pushed the wheelchair out of the building.

"Oh my God…" Andy breathed.

"What? What's wrong?" Sam stopped and kneeled next to her.

She laughed. "Nothing. I just didn't realize how much I missed being outside."

Sam smiled his first genuine smile in days. "I'll go get the truck."

* * *

Ta-da! She is finally released—now all the fun can begin! Hope you all liked it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. ;)


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: So, I was at Comic Con… needless to say, I spent 8-18 hours a day waiting in lines without my laptop, so I didn't have much time to write. I won't apologize for that, because my inner nerd is still super hyper after meeting the Doctor from Doctor Who, but I do apologize for not getting a chapter up before I left or right after I got back. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Well, here we are."

Andy balanced awkwardly a few steps behind Sam on her crutches as she waited for him push open the door wide enough for her to hobble through. She was immediately taken aback by how different she had remembered his apartment being. Granted, she had only been here once before and it was late—dark—and she was an emotional wreck after her first killing… the newly surfaced memory suddenly made her feel even more uncomfortable being in his home… alone with him. She wondered if he felt the same.

"And, uh, here's my security system. I'll put a sticky note on it or something with the codes, in case for some reason you feel the need to escape." He rambled nervously, his hands still full with her suitcase and bag. "Not that you would… that probably wouldn't be the best idea… in your condition. Anyway…"

She stared at him, his rambling causing a feeling of unease to settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Your room—well, my room I guess, but yours for now— is over here."

Andy followed him down the hall, her crutches feeling more like stilts than a walking aid. She paused briefly, looking at the photographs on his wall. They were nothing grand, just your basic scenic pictures of national parks and waterfalls; some frames were blank, only holding a shot of a woman with a fake smile and dog that came with the frame. Her eyes fell upon one that made her smile. It was of his family, or at least that was her best educated guess. Sam had his arm around a girl, who she assumed was his sister, with a gray-haired couple standing behind them. Her partner looked younger, happier—frozen in that moment of time.

"You comin'?" Sam poked his head out a room, looking at her curiously.

She smiled; embarrassed she had been caught snooping. "Yeah, sorry."

The room was small, but had a cozy feeling about it. The queen-sized bed took up the majority of the floor space, but the big windows made the room feel larger. Natural light—she had to smile. The room was decorated in a teal blue and gray theme, but there were a few subtle feminine touches, such as overwhelming amount of pillows on the bed, making her wonder if someone had helped him decorate. His sister? An old girlfriend?

"I hope it will do." He sounded uncertain, like he was seeking approval. "It's probably better than a pull out couch."

"It's great, thanks." It really was too. Not having a broken spring poke you during the night and a little boy waking you up every morning wanting cereal and to watch cartoons on your 'bed' sounded like heaven.

Sam smiled, looking nervous again. It was unusual look for him. She wasn't sure how to interpret it.

"So, you need anything? Something to eat? Drink?"

She shook her head. "I think I'll just take a nap, I'm feeling tired."

"Sure, okay." He looked around the room once again. "The bathroom's just next door to the left. Just holler if you need anything."

"Will do. Thank you." She waited until he left the room, pulling the door almost closed, before she let out a shaky sigh. She let herself sink onto the bed, the pain bearable. She felt overwhelmed by everything and the exhaustion was kicking her butt. She fell asleep wondering about the feminine touches in the room.

* * *

It was dark when she woke. She could barely make out the basic shape of the door with the moonlight streaming through the windows. She wondered the time, but couldn't find a clock. She was tempted to try and go back to sleep, but her stomach protested with a growl. She hadn't eaten lunch and probably slept through dinner—it was surprising she hadn't woken up earlier.

Andy procrastinated for a couple minutes before giving into her hunger. She sat up, realizing instantly that her pain meds must have worn off. She took a moment to psyche herself out enough to stand, reach for her crutches, and leave the room.

It didn't take long for her to find the kitchen… and Sam. When she shuffled into the room, she saw her partner sprawled out on the table. His head rested on top of his left arm while his right hand was buried underneath pages of a magazine. She stared at him, taking in the bags under his eyes and the pool of drool on his sleeve—he looked exhausted. Suddenly, her hunger didn't seem so strong anymore. She moved to leave, but the noise must have woke him.

"Hey." He said groggily as he spotted her, his eyes only half open. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "You okay?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Andy said apologetically. "I was just about to leave… go back to sleep—though you may want to consider a bed instead."

He smiled. "You hungry?"

Her stomach answered him with a growl. She chuckled, looking down in embarrassment. "A little."

"Sit down, let me fix you something." He stood and moved to the fridge.

"Thank you." She leaned the crutches against the table and awkwardly tried to slide herself onto the chair with minimal movement—sitting was the worst.

Sam took a minute to search the contents of his fridge, before turning back to her. "So, do you like omelets? It looks like that's all I could whip up for you—I need to go grocery shopping… or we could order pizza."

"An omelet sounds great."

He pulled out a carton of eggs and cheese and turned to put them on the cluttered counter. It wasn't until she looked at the clutter that she realized it was all her stuff—the gifts from the hospital. Flowers, teddy bears, cards, chocolates… they took up all his counter space. She didn't remember Sam even packing them into his truck. "Wow, how did I accumulate so much stuff?"

Sam pushed some cards away, giving him room to make the food. "You're popular."

"Yeah, right." She rolled her eyes, trying to remember a time she was ever considered 'popular'.

"Hey, want to see something cool?" Sam asked randomly as he held two eggs in one hand and a bowl in the other.

Andy raised her eyebrows, unsure. "I guess… you're not going to throw those at my face, are you?"

Sam laughed and shook his head. He moved over towards her and pulled out an empty chair from the table. He sat the bowl and one egg on it before turning to her. "You ready?"

She was so confused, but she nodded anyway.

"Okay. I haven't tried this in a while, so I might be a little rusty. Here goes." In one graceful move, Sam threw the egg up into the air, it hit the ceiling with a crack and landed back in his hands; he quickly released the egg from its shell and into the bowl. "Ta-da! And that's the proper way of cracking an egg."

Andy had started laughing halfway through his little trick, but stopped when he finished. "Now let me see the bowl. You probably have a dozen bits of shell in it."

"You wish." He passed her the bowl, and to her surprise, there was not a single piece of shell.

"Wow, where did you learn that?" She asked, now impressed.

Sam shrugged, gathering up the bowl and remaining egg and moving it back to the counter. "I don't remember actually. I think a friend must have showed it to me."

A silence fell upon them as the eggs sizzled in the frying pan. Sam added half a dozen other ingredients to the omelet, she couldn't even keep track. She just watched him cook. He looked tired, making her feel guilty that she was keeping him up late.

"Here you go." Sam announced proudly as he laid the plate in front of her. "I call it, the garbage disposal. Nasty name, but it tastes pretty good."

Andy wrinkled her nose, the omelet suddenly not seeming very appetizing. It looked good at least, so she risked it and put a forkful into her mouth. "Oh my God, this is amazing!" And she didn't have to fake it. "What did you put in it?"

"Secret recipe for another time." He brushed off her compliment, wondering to the sink to do the dishes. "Hey, by the way, you're phone's been going off a lot. You probably have a million texts waiting for you."

Andy followed his gaze to her phone sitting on the edge of the table. She quickly scrolled through the unimportant texts—Traci wanting to know how things were, her dad, Chris asking if she needed anything—but stopped on the numerous ones from Luke. She opened one and read it. _Andy, I know you still don't want to see me, at least let me know how you're doing. I'm worried about you_. She opened another one_. I can't believe you're stuck at Swarek's after the mess he caused. Call me if you need to be rescued._

She scuffed without thinking to.

"What?"

Andy looked up to Sam standing over her, drying his hands with a towel. "Uh—it's uh, it's just a text." She stammered, quickly turning off her phone. "Just a stupid text, that's all."

Sam seemed to look right through her, knowing she was trying to hide something, but shrugged as if not a big deal. "Okay."

She sighed, sensing he was hurt by her act. "It's Luke. He's just… he's just being dumb."

"Ah." He exclaimed, as if it make perfect sense. "Callaghan, huh? Yeah, I ran into him the other day at the hospital. He brought you some nice flowers."

Andy rolled her eyes, imagining the conversation between the two men and remembering the one Luke and her shared. "Yeah. I think in his twisted mind he thinks we'd get back together after having a near-death experience. He couldn't be more wrong."

"You okay?"

She nodded, taking another bite of food. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm over him… but he still gets to me."

"That doesn't sound very okay."

Andy sighed, not wanting to have this conversation with Sam right now. "I'm fine. It's him who needs to get on with his life."

"Can't blame a guy for trying." Sam said with a shrug. "He'd be a fool not to try."

Sam's words puzzled her, but she didn't ask what he meant. It sounded like something Sam would have said a week ago—but not now… not with the mood he's been in. It seemed odd. But it was late, and she was suddenly more tired than hungry. "I'm going back to bed. Thanks for dinner."

She couldn't help but notice the article that Sam was reading in his magazine before she left the room—Returning to Work After an Injury.

* * *

I promise they will have a talk soon! I know I keep dragging it out, but it won't be long now! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought about this chapter. Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: So, I was tired of writing filler chapters, so I decided to cut to the chase. Enjoy!

* * *

"Sam, what's wrong with you?"

The question came out of the blew, completely throwing him off guard. He coughed down his beer, trying his earnest to not spit it out. He looked at her—her expression had never looked so serious before. Her big eyes seemed to burn through his own, causing him to look away. "Uh, what?"

"I know you heard me," her voice sounded irritated, but her expression was unchanged. "What's wrong with you?"

He didn't know how to answer the question… or why she was asking it. They had spent the past two days in his apartment doing nothing but making the occasional small talk and giving each other his and her own personal space. Of course things were… awkward, uncomfortable even, between them—but how the hell was talking about it going to make everything better? If anything, it would probably make it worse.

"What's wrong with you?" He rebutted, not wanting to be the first to start this conversation.

"I asked you first." She said flatly.

He wanted to laugh at her childish remark, but really, there was nothing funny about it. "Nothing… nothing's wrong with me."

"Don't do that." Andy sounded hurt. "Don't pretend that nothing's going on. You've been acting weird for days. I didn't say anything when we were at the hospital, but if we're going to be living together for a month, we need to talk. If it's really so hard for you to have me here, maybe I should go stay with Traci or my dad."

Her words stung him. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Is that what you want?"

"I don't know," she said honestly, sounding hurt again. "I don't know anymore. Maybe. If you're just having me here out of obligation or—"

"Is that what you think?" He couldn't hide the hurt in his voice.

Andy sniffled, quickly wiping her eyes from tears he hadn't had a chance to see. "I think that you feel responsible, despite everyone assuring you that you weren't at fault. I think that you offered to help me because you feel obligated to do so. I think that you regret your decision to help, but you—"

"I don't." He stopped her short, reaching for the remote to turn off the TV that played in the background. "I don't regret my decision to help you."

"Then why have you been acting so weird?" Her voice escalated, frustrated. "I don't understand what happened! We were fine! You started acting weird after my dad's visit… what the hell happened? I thought… I had thought that maybe…"

Sam forced himself to remain calm, but everything in him wanted to defend his actions—to make her understand. "You thought… what?"

Andy shook her head, breaking eye contact with him for the first time. She was quiet for a moment, but when she spoke her words were rushed. "I hoped that you weren't just helping me out of obligation. I had thought for a moment that you might be doing it because you liked me or something. But I see now the drugs must have been affecting my thinking process because your recent actions have proved me wrong. You can't turn off being my training officer.

"I do." The words surprised him.

"What?"

Sam swallowed, half wishing he could take them back and half relieved that he had spoken them. This is definitely not how he had imaged having this conversation. "McNally, since your first day on the job when you came into the men's locker room and told me to suck it up, I have respected you. Yes, I was your TO, and I'll always consider you my rookie when I'm on the job. As a TO, it's my responsibility to make sure you don't screw up and keep you safe. I failed to do that. I screwed up, and you got hurt because of it. So yeah, I failed you as a TO… and I failed you as a man who wanted to be more than just partners."

Andy looked speechless—like all the air had escaped her.

"I am not doing this out of obligation, Andy." He said, wanting to know what she thought but feeling the need to continue. "I am doing this because I care about you… a lot more than just your training officer or partner."

"Why the hell didn't you say something sooner?" She wiped more tears away, her voice on the verge of breaking. "You let me think I was crazy to assume… you let me believe that I had missed my chance. Before Luke, after Luke… why didn't you say something?"

_Right, because that would be a good idea. Hey Andy, I know you just broke up with your cheating-bastard fiancée, but I like you._ He nearly groaned in attempt to hold back his first reaction. "I never thought there was a right time. When you were with Luke, I knew—rather I thought you wouldn't get hurt. I thought he was solid—stable. After you guys broke up, I convinced myself that you were better off without me. You and your five-year-plan. I couldn't give you that stability you want, Andy. With this job… well, you know the risks."

"When did I ever say I wanted stability? I have the same job you do, Sam. I know the risks." She sounded annoyed. "Don't use your job as an excuse."

He swallowed hard, her words slicing through the lie he had fooled himself to believe. He had told himself he was staying back for her sake, but he knew deep down, he was really doing it to protect himself. "You're right."

"I—I am?" His words seemed to surprise her.

"Yeah," he tried to keep his voice casual. "You're right; I used that as an excuse."

She cocked her head slightly, as if trying to understand.

"I didn't want to get rejected. Typical story I suppose… it was easier to like you from afar and hope that someday things would change between us than to be turned down by you and loose that hope." He felt like a puppet—like someone stuck their hand in his mouth to move his lips and speak their words. Only… they were his thoughts.

"You wouldn't hesitate taking a bullet for me, but you're afraid I'll break your heart?"

He didn't like her words—they made him sound wimpy, but it was accurate. "Something like that."

Andy let out a shaky breath, digesting it all. "I'm such an idiot."

He didn't ask what she meant by that as he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"I should have known." Her words brought him relief. "I guess I just thought you were being nice after the whole Luke thing. Then after the accident, my dad said something that got me wondering if you maybe still cared about me."

"Your dad is a smart guy." Was all he could think of to say.

She was quiet again. "So, now what?"

"I guess that's up to you." Sam shrugged, again, playing it casual.

Andy smiled. "Do you really think I would be approaching this topic if I didn't feel the same? Do you think I'd have stayed here for a week, miserable, if I didn't feel something?"

Sam shrugged again.

"Well, the answer is no, I wouldn't have. Sam… I made a mistake with Luke. I know I don't owe you apology, but almost feel the need to. I messed up… I chose the wrong guy. I didn't realize it until after it was over, and by then, I thought it was too late."

"We suck at communicating." He said bluntly, killing the emotional mood.

"Yeah, we kinda do." Andy said with a laugh. "But we could work on it."

This was approaching the awkward territory for him. "Uh, yeah, we could do that."

"Okay, so… we're what?" Andy asked hesitantly.

He knew what she meant, but asked for clarification anyway. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to move past just being partners?" She dumbed it down for him. "I mean… we're not really a couple or anything, but… we're something, right?"

"Yeah, we're something." He agreed, searching for the right word. "We're uh, we're dating."

She looked at him humorously. "We've never been on a date. How can we be dating without ever going on a date?"

"Okay, do you want to out sometime, officer McNally?"

Her smile made him grin. "I would love that, officer Swarek. We may have to wait a while though, I'm still an invalid."

"I could order a pizza… and I've got beer in the fridge. I'm also pretty sure a Gary Cooper movie is about to come on."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's a date."

Those words have never sounded sweeter. "Okay. But just to go on record, I'm not generally the mushy gushy type, so don't get used to it."

"Good, I was getting worried." Andy chuckled.

They both settled back into their seats, turning their attention to the television. Sam waited a moment before he had enough courage to slide his hand over to hers, interlacing her freely given fingers with his. He smiled, not looking at her. This accident may have been the damn best thing that had ever happened to them.

The end.

* * *

Were you surprised? Yeah, me too when I wrote this chapter. I'm expecting to write an epilogue though, which should be all fluff. Please review and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys. 3


	16. Epilogue

A/N: Sorry I took so long to get this posted. My summer vacation only lasted two weeks, so I tried to get everything out of it that I could. Before you read this chapter, I feel as though I should warn you… I may have lied in my last note about this epilogue being all fluff—it's not. I tried so hard to write something light-hearted and fun, but really, that's not Sam and Andy at all. They aren't exactly the most "fluffy" characters around. So, I hope you don't hate me, and that you enjoy this despite it being not-so-fluffy.

* * *

_**Four months later… **_

"Come on, Andy, I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?"

"Did you really think some flowers and a nice dinner would make up for everything? I'm not that type of girl."

Sam Swarek threw his head back exasperated and sighed. "Well, I don't know what else you want me to do. I know I messed up, I apologized. You could suck it up and move on."

"Suck it up? Really? You're telling me to suck it up?" Andy's angry voice rose, grabbing the attention of people at nearby tables. "I didn't do anything wrong here, Sam. You did."

Sam slammed his newly formed fist down on the table, sending the clattering silverware in every which direction and receiving gasps from eavesdropping patrons. His eyes glared at the woman across from him, lashing his anger at her with his stare. "You know what? Screw you. You deserved that, bitch." He pushed his chair away from the table and stood, rage radiating off his body. "Don't bother coming home. We're done."

Andy watched him leave, her eyes wide and her expression hurt. "Sam!" She shouted to no avail, as the restaurant door slammed shut behind him. She looked around at the audience that had formed. Feeling the all the eyes on her, she sank into her chair. Tears leaked from her eyes. She groaned inwardly, knowing it was going to ruin her makeup.

"Hey." Andy looked up to see a man, a handsome one at that, standing next to Sam's chair, looking apologetic and unsure. "I'm sorry… I know you probably just want to be left alone right now, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay…"

She sat up straight and wiped her tears away with a sniffle. "Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry everyone had to hear that. My boyfriend… well… he—" she covered her mouth as she tried to muffle a sob. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually this emotional."

The man with the kind voice handed her a napkin, which she hastily accepted. "I know this is probably totally inappropriate, but do you want to join me for a drink?"

Andy hesitated, slightly taken back by his offer, before nodding. "Yeah, sure. Why not? That sounds great—thank you."

"Wonderful." He said, extending a hand to help her up. "I'm Todd, by the way."

"Andy." She replied, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, I got that." Todd said carefully, eyeing her. "You sure you're okay?"

She wanted to roll her eyes—had he not just seen what happened? Instead, she shook her head. "No, no I'm not. But I will be."

"That's the spirit!" Todd laughed lightly as he sat down at the bar, gesturing the bartender over. "A guy like that, he doesn't deserve you."

The bartender glanced between the two of them. "What will it be?"

"Lady's pick." Todd said with a perfect smile.

"Tequila." She ordered, not taking time to think.

Todd nodded his approval. "Four shots of tequila. Thanks." He turned back to Andy as the bartender left. "So, uh, what was the fight about? If you don't mind me asking…"

Andy looked down, her cheeks growing red with embarrassment. "Nothing, nothing really."

"Yeah?" Todd said sarcastically. "That's a pretty nasty looking shiner you got there… was that nothing too?"

Andy swallowed as she glanced at her reflection on the glass countertop. The puffy black and blue bruise that circled around her eye looked nasty and painful. It looked so foreign on her normally light and clear skin. She touched it and winced. "I fell." The words sounded lousy, even to her.

"Heard that before." Todd said with concern, his eyes never leaving hers. "Can I look at it?"

"No, I'm fine, really." She pulled away from his outreached hand.

"I've heard that one before too." His words sounded kind, but she could hear the irritation behind them.

"I'm sure you have," her tone more bitter than she expected. "Listen, I don't need your judgment, not tonight, so if that's all you have to say, I think I should go..."

He grabbed her arm as she slid off the stood, more forceful than necessary. She glared at him and he quickly released her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I just… it's hard to see a pretty girl like you being used as a punching bag by her boyfriend. It makes me want to find the guy and give a well-deserved beating."

She forced a smile again, picturing the hypothetical fight going the opposite way in her head.

"_I'd like to see him try._" Sam's gruff voice radioed in her ear. Apparently he had the same thought process.

"Come on, why don't we get out of here?"

She felt a flutter in her stomach—nerves. "What about our shots?"

"I don't think alcohol is going to solve your problems, Andy." He said seriously.

"Yeah? Then what will?" She raised her eyebrows with curiosity.

Todd shrugged casually, pulling out a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and laying it on the counter. "I don't know. But I learned the hard way that running from or trying to distract yourself from you problems is not a solution."

"How did you do it? Face your problems? Find the solution?"

"Long story for another time." Todd chuckled, flashing his perfect smile again. "So, what do you say? Wanna join me tonight?"

She paused, as if thinking about his offer. "Sure. We only live once, right?"

"Exactly."

"So, where are we going?"

Todd gestured her towards the door. "It will be a surprise. Come on, we'll take my car."

"_Be careful, Andy_." Sam radioed to her again.

As they walked outside, Andy signaled to the police crew in the unmarked van parked across the street, telling them she was fine by running her fingers through her hair. She followed Todd down the street until they reached a shiny black convertible. Todd smiled as he opened the passenger door for her. She tried her best to act cool and nonchalant as she stepped inside.

Todd quickly jogged around and hopped into the driver's seat.

"_Don't worry; we'll be right behind you._" Sam assured.

"_Tell him to put the hood down—we won't be able to hear your conversation with the wind._" Jerry's voice said.

"Will you put the hood down?" Andy asked as Todd put his keys into the ignition. "I will kill myself if I have to spend an hour trying to detangle my hair."

Todd smiled. "Sure."

She tried to think of something to talk about, but her mind drew a blank. "Can I turn on some music?"

"Of course."

Andy turned on the radio, not bothering to switch stations. She buckled in and leaned against the seat. Glancing towards the side mirror from the corner of her eye, she watched as the police van began to follow at a safe distance as the convertible sped off.

* * *

They drove for nearly half an hour, to a part of town she rarely saw. The streets were dark and empty, and the big warehouses looked abandoned. She could no longer see the van behind her, but she knew it wouldn't be far off. She tried to relax, but her body tensed up despite herself.

Todd must have sensed she was uncomfortable, as he reached over and patted her shoulder gently. "It's okay, I promise." He smiled, though she could barely see it in the dim lighting. "It's just up here."

She smiled uncomfortably. "You sure you're not taking me out here to… you know…" She gestured slitting her throat with her hands.

He laughed. "If I was, would I tell you?" His words were not comforting. "No, I'm not going to kill you, Andy."

"Good." She chuckled nervously, her fingers interlacing with each other in attempt to stop them from shaking. "Good to know."

"Here we are." Todd pulled the car into a large, old parking lot. He put the roof down before cutting the engine. "Look up."

Andy didn't want to take her eyes off him, but she slowly obliged. "Wow."

"Isn't it great?" Todd sounded excited. "I love this place. The stars look amazing out here, away from the city."

They did look amazing. She had never seen so many stars in her life.

"Wanna go for a walk?"

"_Be careful, Andy_." Sam's voice spoke in her ear, easing her worries and giving her a sense of peace. "_We're just two buildings down_."

"Sure." She stepped out of the car, following Todd towards a building. "Is this where you take all your dates?"

He smiled and winked. "Only the special ones."

She tried not to throw up. She padded her thigh discreetly, feeling the gun and pepper spray strapped to her leg, under her dress.

"It's a little dark in here, so watch your step." Todd warned, pushing open a metal door that squeaked loudly in protest.

"_We're approaching the building_." Sam said.

When she was through the door and down a couple steps, lights turned on, temporarily blinding her.

"Sorry." Todd apologized, stepping away from the light switch. "This place used to belong to my father, back in the seventies. I played here as a little boy… a lot of memories are attached to this place."

She smiled, her eyes still adjusting.

"Care for something to drink? Maybe do a few shots of tequila?" He winked.

"_Don't drink anything_." Sam radioed. His words irritated her, of course she knew better than that.

"I thought you said alcohol wasn't the solution."

Todd nodded. "True, but hanging with a friend is. Drinks are part of the territory."

"Yeah, tequila would be awesome." Andy said, following him towards the corner of the room, which was probably a small kitchen in the past.

After he filled up a shot glass and passed it to her, he took one himself.

Andy held the glass in her hand, but didn't drink. "So, why did you really bring me here?"

Todd shrugged. "Because I wanted you."

His words made her shudder. She hoped it wasn't too noticeable. "Well, you got me here… now what?"

"_Right outside the door. Do not put yourself in a vulnerable position. Remember, we just need to find Annie. She has to be in there somewhere_."

"Now we drink." He gestured towards the tequila with his eyes.

Andy smiled. "Is there a bathroom? I think I'll pee my pants if I try to drink something else right now."

"Of course." He nodded. "There's one just down the hall… I can show it to yo—"

"That's okay, I can find it. Why don't you make us something a bit more… fun." She flashed her biggest smile, biting her tongue in the process. "Tequila isn't going to cut it tonight."

He smiled back, his eyebrows raised. "Coming right up."

As soon as she was out of sight, she pulled her gun out from its holder—just in case. She hurried past the bathroom, trying to find access to the basement. "Do you guys have blueprints on this building yet?" She whispered into her microphone.

"_Working on it_." Jerry said. She could hear fingers flying against a keyboard.

She turned down a corridor, wishing she had more than just her cellphone to light her way. "I think I found it." She whispered a minute later, spotting a staircase entrance. "We're sure they were held in the basement?"

"_Yes_." Sam said, not bothering to remind her why. "_If she's there, she will be in the basement._"

"Okay." Andy hurried down the stairs, her adrenaline coursing through her body freely. When her feet touched the concrete floor, she nearly sighed in relief. Heels and stairs were not the best combo. "Okay, I'm down here… what am I looking for?"

"_The girls were restrained somewhere damp._" Jerry said. "_Look for somewhere near pipes…_"

_God bless technology and nerds_, Andy thought. How the hell they figured that out she would never know. She tried to silently run around the basement, checking each room for any signs of their missing girl. She stopped abruptly, hearing a slight noise. She debated calling out, but worried she would attract Todd. The scraping sound was faint and bounced off every wall. It took her a full two minutes before she could tell she was getting closer.

"_Todd just left the room, Andy. I think he's going to look for you._" Sam warned. "_We need confirmation_."

Andy didn't bother to respond. She continued to follow the noise; it grew louder with each step she took. She stopped when she couldn't go any further, finding herself in front of what looked to be a very large, old refrigerator. Not the household kind, the giant ones you would expect to find in a restaurant—room sized. There was a padlock on the outside. She quickly pulled out a bobby pin from her hair, grateful to her dad that he had taught her to pick a lock at a young age. In under a minute, she had it opened. A light turned on as she pulled the door open, her eyes took a moment to adjust, but when they did, she saw her. Annie. "She's here."

"_Moving in_."

Andy rushed into the cool room, her heels sloshing against the puddles of water on the concrete floor. She leaned next to the young woman, shaking her. "Hey, hey, you okay?"

The woman groaned and opened her big brown eyes. "I've been better." Her voice sounded hoarse, but strong.

"Come on, we got to get you out of here." Andy laced her arms under Annie's, pulling her to her feet. "Can you walk?"

"I-I think so." She sounded unsure, but attempted to put weight on her feet.

They had barely made it outside the door when Andy's face collided with a strong fist. She stumbled backwards, bringing Annie down with her.

"You nosey bitch." Todd spat angrily. "Who the hell are you?"

Andy fought past the pain and scrambled to her feet, raising her gun towards her assailant the very second he did the same. The two of them stood there, aiming their weapons at each other's skull. Andy tried to slow her breathing down, knowing she needed to calm herself down. "Listen, my name is Andy McNally, I work for the 15th division of the Toronto police department. You don't want to be pointing that gun at my face."

"_Ten seconds out_." Sam's worried voice spoke to her.

"No, that is exactly the reason I want to be pointing this at you." His hand was shaking, making her unsettled.

"I have a whole team right upstairs… if you want to get out of here alive, you will need to put the gun down. Now." She surprised herself how calm and authoritative her voice sounded.

"POLICE! Drop your weapon!" Sam's angry voice boomed from a hundred feet away. She heard the sound of scrambling feet and weapons clicking, but didn't dare take her eyes off Todd to look.

"Drop yours!" Todd's cracked voice ordered, taking a step closer to Andy. "Or I kill her."

"You will be dead before you have a chance to pull the trigger." Sam said calmly. "Do us all a favor, drop the weapon."

Todd turned towards Sam, recognizing the voice, and laughed slightly. "The boyfriend… I should have known a guy like you would never have been with someone like Andy."

No one bothered to correct him.

"If you don't put that weapon down, sir, I will be forced to shoot you." Sam said.

Todd took another step towards Andy, now only two or three feet away. "You won't do that. You need me. You need me to tell you where all those bodies are. Those poor girls… abused, broken, and murdered. And you, the police department, didn't do anything about it for five years."

"Put your weapon down," Andy said. "It's over."

"You're a damn good actress, Andy." Todd said, checking her over with creepy eyes. "I would have loved to get my hands on you."

Andy's stomach churned at his words. "You're sick."

"Maybe. But I do things on my terms… and giving myself isn't on my terms."

Andy reacted quickly to his words, pulling the trigger before Todd placed the barrel against his temple. Her bullet struck him in the arm, throwing him backwards with its force. He collapsed on the floor with a loud groan. The place turned chaotic. As the team gather around Todd, she turned to Annie, who sat cowering against a wall. "Are you okay?"

The frail woman shook her head, tears flying as she did. "No."

A paramedic gently pushed Andy aside as he began to examine their victim. Andy stepped back to give them room.

Sam found his way to Andy, sandwiching her face between his two large hands. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She assured, seeing the worry in his eyes. "Thank you for having my back."

Sam smiled, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Always."

The walked out of the crime scene in silence, both replaying the night in their heads.

"I can't believe you called me a bitch."

"I can't believe you have two shiners now." Sam responded with a small laugh.

Andy winced at the reminder. Suddenly all her adrenaline was gone and her eye throbbed. "Yeah, but only one of them is real. Remind me to tell the makeup people they did an exceptional job."

"Let me see it." Sam stopped her, turning her towards him so he could get a better look at her eye. "That looks nasty. Come on, we need to get some ice on it."

Andy groaned, but allowed Sam to pull her towards the nearby ambulance without protest. He handed her an ice pack and she pressed it against her eye. "God, that's cold."

"Well, it is ice." Sam said with a light laugh. "I'm glad you are okay, Andy."

"What are you talking about? My eye is nearly swollen shut."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "I mean it."

Andy lowered the ice pack to look at Sam in the eye. "I know you didn't think I was ready for this, but thank you for supporting me."

"We're partners, that's what I'm here for." He smiled. "Come on; wanna bail on the paperwork party and head to our place?"

"Our place." She grinned, the words sounding new and wonderful to her ears. "That sounds great."

Sam wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and steered her towards his truck. "We make a pretty good team, you and me."

"Yeah… we really do."

* * *

Now it's over… for real this time. I hope you all liked it. I have so enjoyed hearing from you guys throughout this story—you are all so awesome. I would love to hear from you one last time! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. Thanks for stickin' out this story with me!


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